A Love for the Sky
by WishUponAStar1015
Summary: She was a Guardian Angel created to protect the Keybearer against the darkness. She was the purity he could hold onto while he saved his friends. When his quest is over, however, what will happen to her? Will she simply disappear back into nothingness?
1. Prologue

**Okay...Yeah...I know I told people that my LOTR fic was the next up, but I got the idea when I played the game. I can't help it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters. Certain ones belong to Square Enix, others belong to Disney! I only own Freya!**

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**Love for the Sky**

**Prologue**

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There was once a line of guardians who protected those seeking and defending the light. They aided the seekers of defenders of light, known as those who bore the key, with everything. It was their very existence, embedded in their very core to protect them.

Unfortunately, the number of those who bore the key was depleted. They stopped seeking the light and more started to seek the darkness instead. The Guardian Angels were dying out…but one.

This is the story of the last of those guardian angels. She is now the only one to exist because there was a boy who was in need of her services.

She was the last Guardian Angel.

He was a young Key Bearer.

This is their story.

Will you dare to read of their fate?

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_**I've been having these weird thoughts lately…**_

_**Like…is any of this for real…or not?**_

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The darkness made way for the light as a brunette boy opened his bright blue eyes. This boy had never been here before, but it somehow felt familiar. He was wearing red knee length pants, a red shirt, a cropped black jacket with white sleeves and a hood, and white fingerless gloves with some sort of silver symbol on the back of them. Yellow and black shoes were on his feet and he wore a blue belt around his waist. Around his neck was a silver chain with a crown pendant on it.

The brunette boy looks around in curiosity before a bright white light appears in the middle of the platform he was standing on. As the bright light cleared, he could see that a girl, no older than he, was floating towards the ground. Her eyes were closed, so he could only guess that she was unconscious. He couldn't help but think she was pretty…

The girl had long luscious ruby red hair and it reached her waist. Her ruby red tresses were held back in a long braid while her bangs were free to frame her face. They reached a little past her chin. Since her eyes were closed, he couldn't see what color they were.

The dress she was wearing was really unique. It was sleeveless, but it was also high collared. The color of the bust up was a deep ruby color, matching her hair, and there was a black ribbon directly under her bust. A black ruffled skirt fell in waves down to her knees and a ruby colored overskirt fell slightly above that, with the center cut out so you could see the black portion. She wore black mid-calf high flat boots and there was a black ribbon around each wrist. A corset style garment was wrapped around the girl's waist and it seemed like the back of her dress was…well…backless. From the neck to right where the corset style waist portion of the dress there was no material. There was a button on the back of the neck of the dress to hold it together. It would have been considered weird, but the reason why she didn't have a back to the dress was quite simple.

The ruby haired girl had pure, pristine, white angel wings.

The boy ran forward to catch the girl as she floated down, staring at her in awe. None of the girls he knew back on his home looked remotely like this. She was unique. When his hands made contact with her back, right underneath her wings, her weightlessness ceased to exist. She fell, but she wasn't heavy like the boy thought she would have been. Instead of dropping her, he gently lowered her to the ground, worried.

It could have been considered odd that the boy was worried over someone he didn't know, but for some reason…he felt like he had known this girl for a long time. He patted her cheeks, feeling his heart lift when her amber colored eyes fluttered open. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the brunette boy helped her up. Throughout the whole ordeal, neither of them said a word. The two of them stared at each other before they smiled, clasping hands as if they were old friends.

_**So much to do, so little time. **_A mysterious voice rang through the air. _**Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it? **_The voice asked the two of them. The brunette boy took a step forward and the ruby haired girl followed, a look of apprehension falling across her face. She felt like something was going to happen.

Suddenly, a triangle of stone pillars appeared. One had a sword upon it, another a staff, and the last had a shield. This reminded the girl of her own weapon. The brunette boy turned as she summoned it. It was a long black rod with a floating silver light on the end. Several pieces of metal jutted out and intertwined on the end of the rod to encase the light. Two wings flared out on either side of the light and a small crown was engraved right below the light. It was the same as his necklace. The two of them smiled at each other again.

_**If you give it form…it will give you strength. Choose well.**_ The mysterious voice said again. Looking back at the winged girl, the brunette came to a decision. He turned to face the three weapons and chose the shield.

_**The power of the Guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek? **_The voice asked him. He looked back towards the winged girl once again and nodded his head yes.

_**Your path is set. **_The voice said as the shield disappeared from the brunette's arm. The winged girl came to stand next to the one who called her heart to him. _**Now, what will you give up in exchange? **_

The brunette frowned and looked between the sword and the small staff. It took little time for him to decide. He chose the sword.

_**The power of the Warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. You give up this power? **_The boy nodded at the voice.

_**You've chosen the power of the Guardian. You've given up the power of the Warrior. Is this the form you choose? **_The voice wanted to confirm. The boy nodded once again and as he did so the triangle of stones disappeared. The floor shattered and the boy and winged girl fell through the shattered pieces.

The winged girl's pure white wings spread wide and she floated down towards the next platform, grabbing onto the brunette boy's outstretched hand. Both of them landed on a platform with a portrait of a woman named Cinderella. The winged girl spun her staff while a shield appeared on the brunette boy's arm.

_**You gained the power to fight. **_The voice said as the brunette boy swung the shield around on his arm. He attacked the air, secretly eying the winged girl out of the corner of his eye.

_**Alright! You've got it. Use this power to protect yourself and others…and Guardian Angel, protect the one who bears the key. **_The winged girl was about to respond, but, suddenly, shadows appeared on the ground.

_**There will be times where you will have to fight. Depend on your Guardian Angel and keep your light burning strong. **_The voice advised. The brunette boy fought off the group of shadows while the winged girl hovered above him, making sure that he was safe. When the last one was dealt with, more appeared. Before the winged girl could say anything, however, the mysterious voice warned the brunette boy of the attack.

_**Behind you! **_It warned. Together the two warriors fought and defeated all of the shadows. Then, the dark void appeared and the brunette was sucked in. The winged girl gasped, diving into the pool of shadows after the boy. Both of them found themselves standing on another circular floor with multiple colors. The brunette boy approached the door, but found it to be un-openable.

The winged girl was by his side in an instant, pointing to a treasure chest looking box. The brunette boy smiled his thanks and opened it. Then, a large crate appeared. Shrugging, the boy smashed it. A barrel appeared and the boy smashed it as well to the amusement of the winged girl. She flexed her wings, feeling that something was approaching. Both of them went through the opened door. On the other side, three people – Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie – were waiting for them.

_**Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourselves.**_

The two of them talked to Tidus and revealed that the boy was afraid of getting old and the winged girl was afraid of letting the one with the key down. The two of them talked to Wakka and revealed that the boy wanted to see rare sights while the winged girl wanted to be useful. Then, the two of them talked to Selphie and revealed that the boy wanted to be number one while the winged girl revealed that the safety of the one with the key was most important to her.

_**You're afraid of getting old and letting the key-bearer down. You want to see rare sights and to be useful. You want to be number one and the safety of the key-bearer is most important to you. **_The mysterious voice recited back. _**Your adventure begins at dawn. As long as you rely on each other and the sun is shining, your journey should be a pleasant one.**_

Both of the teenagers smiled at this news.

_**The day you will open the door is both far off and very near.**_

Suddenly, both the boy and winged girl appeared on a platform with a portrait of Aurora. The winged girl follows him closely. The two of them approach the light and a group of shadows appear. The two manage to defeat the shadows and they approached a very warm circle of light. They rested comfortably in the circle for a few moments, the boy taking the time to lightly trace his fingers over the girl's wings. She chuckles and plucks a feather for him to keep. He grins, placing it into the pocket of his pants.

They eventually ascended the stars to the next area.

_**The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes.**_

And then the boy's shadow turned into a mighty shadow-beast. The name 'Darkside' entered their minds and the two of them prepared to fight.

_**But don't be afraid. And don't forget…**_

The boy almost fell off of the platform and the two of them worked together to defeat the mighty shadow-beast. Suddenly, the boy was knocked off his feet. As the winged girl covered him with her own body, wings protectively flared out, she was yanked up and squeezed in the Darkside's massive hand.

_**But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all.**_

The boy cried out for the winged girl as she was being injured, but there was nothing he could do to help her. As he was being engulfed in a circle of black shadows, he finally learned her name.

_**So don't forget: you are the one who will open the door…**_

_**And Freya is the one who will protect you.**_


	2. Destiny Islands Part One

**Thanks to all who favorited and put my story on story alert! **

**Thanks to:**

**Mic Mov - I know. Freya is one of my favorite Original Characters to date. =D I had a dream about this. Actually, it was about the part that Sora turns into a heartless...but I don't want to give anything away lol**

**Dislcaimer: Square Enix and Disney own all of the characters. I only own Freya.**

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**Chapter One**

**Destiny Islands Part One**

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After the brown haired boy suffered from the dream, he woke up on the beach in the island he called his home. After he woke up, he saw one of his friends leaning over him. Since she was so close, he had shouted in surprise.

What the red headed girl didn't see was there was a translucent winged girl who shot up next to him with a panicked expression on her face. She looked around, noticing that neither the brunette boy she had met in that strange place nor the red headed girl could see her.

She waved her hand and tried to speak, but no sound came from her mouth. She frowned, clearly remembering being able to speak before. Perhaps it was a side effect from being translucent. The winged girl, Freya, went to touch the brunette boy's shoulder, but her hand slipped straight through. She recoiled with a silent gasp – what the hell just happened?

Finally, after several minutes of trying to decide what to do, Freya used her wings to propel herself in the air, out of the way of the others. For now she was just an observer.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, jerking forward into a sitting position. His red headed female friend giggled into her hand.

"Gimme a break, Kairi." He pouted again. Said girl, Kairi, was one of his two best friends. She had vibrant red hair, but not the same color as the girl in the brunette boy's dream, and was wearing a black cropped shirt with a white tank top and purple accents on it. Tight purple short shorts were on her legs and a purple skirt covered the shorts. It was open on one side, letting others see the shorts underneath. White and purple shoes were on her feet and for accessories she was wearing a purple belt, a black choker, a longer necklace with a circular pendant, a purple bracelet on her upper arm, a yellow bracelet on each wrist, and a black bracelet on one wrist.

"Sora, you lazy bum." She scoffed, "I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here." The boy looked up at her with a panicked expression.

"No! This huge black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't…Ow!" he was interrupted as the red headed girl thumped him on the head.

"Are you still dreaming?" she questioned him, not believing a word he was saying.

"It wasn't a dream!" he protested harshly before he stopped suddenly, "Or was it? I don't know. What was that place? So bizarre..." he trailed off for a second before starting up again. He remembered that there was another one with him in that dark place.

"There was this girl, too! She had…wings…and her name was Freya." He quietly said, remembering the look of pain on the winged girl's face as she was snatched up by the giant dark being. Freya had a soft smile on her face. So he did remember her.

"Yeah, sure." Kairi dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Suddenly, Sora had an urge to know what Kairi's hometown was like.

"Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like?" he questioned her, "You know, where you grew up." The red headed girl looked at him before turning away.

"I've told you before, I don't remember." She said with a sigh.

"Nothing at all?" he pressed. He was wondering if the winged girl came from another world.

"Nothing." she confirmed with a sad look.

"You ever want to go back?" Sora asked eagerly.

"Well…" she started, "I'm happy here." She wasn't very convincing to the winged girl, but as she opened her mouth to reply Freya remembered that she couldn't talk.

"Really..." Sora drawled, not really believing her as well. Kairi was silent for a short while before she started to talk again.

"But you know... I wouldn't mind going to see it." She admitted with a grin. Freya stared at the girl with a thoughtful expression on her face. She never really had a home…not that she could remember anyway. All she remembered was the fact that she was to protect the Key Bearer. She was a physical manifestation of its power, so did she really have a home?

"I'd like to see it too." The brunette boy commented, looking out to the sea, "Along with any other worlds out there! I want to see 'em all!" he exclaimed. Freya stared sadly at the boy. She wanted nothing more than to find a home for her as well.

"So what're we waiting for?" the darker red headed girl asked with an excited smile. Suddenly, the voice of a slightly older boy interrupted them.

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?" he questioned, pretending to be offended. This boy, named Riku, was a year older than the brunette boy, Sora. Freya studied him intently, feeling that he was close to the other two. All three of them seemed like they were in a tight-knit friendship.

The new boy, Riku, was taller than Sora by just the slightest bit. He had long silvery hair and sea green eyes. He wore a tight yellow shirt with black accents and black straps crossing in the front, dark blue pants, blue-violet over pants with black buckles on the bottom, and blue and white shoes were on his feet. He wore little accessories – just a black wrist band on one of his wrists and short tight black gloves.

"So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft." He sighed dramatically, tossing the log. Freya giggled noiselessly – or she thought it was noiselessly - as she watched the brunette try to catch it. As he caught the log when he fell, the brunette boy could hear the faint sound of bell-like giggling in the wind.

"And you're just as lazy as he is!" the silvery haired boy exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger to the younger girl.

"So you noticed." She giggled, "Okay, we'll finish it together. I'll race you!"

"Huh?" Sora asked, still distracted by the bell-like giggling he heard in the wind. Apparently he was the only one who could hear it.

"What, are you kidding?" he asked tiredly. He was the only one who had been doing the work after all, but he was always ready for a race with Sora. He had his reputation to maintain after all.

"Ready?" Kairi shouted, "Go!" and with that both boys took off. Kairi trailed after the two and Freya let out a small smile as she swooped down behind them. She watched, mood dropping once again when she remembered that she couldn't talk to them.

"So, can you gather the rest of the supplies?" Kairi asked. Sora, however wasn't listening to her. Something warm was heating up inside his pocket. He glanced down, slipping his hand inside his pocket. The brunette was extremely surprised when he pulled out a thin, soft, and warm feather from his pocket.

The brunette's heart was thumping as he realized that this was the same feather that the winged girl from his dream gave him. Suddenly, his thoughts were broken by the red headed girl, Kairi.

"Sora, are you listening to me?" she asked, wondering what the brunette boy was thinking.

"Yeah, I heard you." He said, inconspicuously tucking the feather back into his pocket. Freya giggled soundlessly again, but Sora picked the light giggle from the wind. He looked around out of the corners of his eyes, but he still didn't see anyone else besides Kairi…and he knew for a fact that she wasn't the one who giggled.

"Okay, here's what you need to go find: Two Logs. One Cloth. One Rope." She paused to let the information sink in.

"Bring everything back here. If you need help, just ask. I'm counting on you!" Kairi said, waving him off and giving him a bright smile. Freya frowned. Why wasn't the red headed girl looking for anything?

Sora looked around for the logs first. He spotted one a few feet from where he was standing, but then he was lost. He looked around to see if he could spot another log, but he had no idea where one could be. The winged girl took pity on him and started to think. How could she help him? He seemed to have heard her giggling, but he couldn't hear her voice. She couldn't touch him…but perhaps she could touch inanimate objects?

Freya beat her wings and ascended over the second island – the one connected to the mainland by a semi-long bridge. Almost instantly, her sharp eyes spotted the second log that Sora needed. She landed, kneeling down to touch the log, but, as she thought, her hand went right through it. It was like her body didn't exist on this plane…or it was only halfway formed. Maybe, she could pluck a feather and drop it on Sora's head? If it wasn't attached to her body then maybe he could see it and feel it!

The winged girl grew excited and took to the sky again. She rose high enough so that she could drop a feather from the bridge onto his head. Freya sucked in a breath and plucked a feather, wincing at the slight stinging sensation it created. She sighed. She couldn't keep plucking feathers out every time she needed to talk to him or else her wings would easily get infected.

The transparent winged girl lay down on the wooden bridge and waited until the breeze stopped. Then, as she bit her lip, she let go of the feather. The transparent feather turned solid and tangible as soon as it left her fingertips. It floated down, landing on the head of the brunette boy. Sora jumped, snatching the warm feather from his head and looked around. It was still warm to the touch. His bright blue eyes widened as he looked up, seeing another feather falling from above him. The falling feather, however, blew away in the wind…but he was thinking about Freya.

Sora quickly dashed to the right and went through the small shack. When he made it to the bridge he was unaware that the transparent winged girl was actually standing right in front of him. All he saw was the other log. As he slowly walked to it, he looked around, feeling sad that he couldn't see her.

"Thanks, Freya." He whispered, hoping that she could hear her. She could and a small smile formed on her lips. She giggled and his head whipped around, hearing the giggling on the wind once again. The winged girl suddenly had an idea. She flew towards the mainland, letting out a soft giggle. Sora followed the sound, wanting to catch the person emitting the bell-like giggle, but he saw nobody. He followed the sound until he got to an area with a ladder. A feather fell on his head and he looked up, climbing the ladder. The giggle sounded again and he followed it, finding his friend Tidus practicing with his staff. Sora found the rope coiled in a pile. It was one more thing that Freya had helped him find.

Now all he had left was the cloth. A giggle came from behind him and he dashed towards the sound, stopping at where the ladder met the platform. Suddenly, a feather flew from the inside of the giant treehouse. He grinned, catching the feather and jumped so that he was on the second platform across from him. Climbing up both ladders, he was disappointed when Frya wasn't in the room. The cloth was there, however, so he grabbed that. Now he had all the things he needed with Freya's help.

Sora jumped down to the ground and slowly walked over to Kairi with the things in his arms.

"Thanks, Sora! I found something today, too. Here, it's yours." She said with a smile. Freya stared at the young girl – when had she acquired that Hi-Potion? The girl gave it to Sora and he smiled.

"Tired? Want to call it a day?" Kairi asked as the boy nodded.

"Yeah, let's go home." He said, but paused. It was like he was waiting for something in the wind.

"Okay. It is getting late. We'll finish up tomorrow." And with that the two of them went home. Freya looked down at herself, surprised to see that she was disappearing. Everything started spinning, but it stopped, forming another picture in front of her face. To the left she saw Sora, sound asleep in his bed.

"I will protect you, Sora. I will protect you with my life if I have to." She whispered, surprised to hear her voice. It was carried by the wind and Sora smiled in his sleep as he heard the words, even if he thought he was dreaming.


	3. Destiny Islands Part Two

**Thanks to all those who read my story thus far. I'm sorry that it's kind of short - I was trying to break it into even chapters.**

**Thanks to:**

**Mic Mov - Well, they don't actually know about the worlds yet. It seems like they do, but they're just speculating whats happening so far.**

**Disclaimer: Square Enix and Disney own all the characters except for my Freya.**

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**Chapter Two**

**Destiny Islands Part Two**

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The night was boring for the Guardian Angel. She searched high and low for something to do, but it was useless when she realized that she still couldn't touch anything. At least the feathers she had pulled out had grown back in. She wouldn't get infected. The amber eyed winged girl huffed in aggravation as she looked around the brunette boy's room.

Suddenly, she had an idea. What if she could go into his mind? She didn't exist on this plane entirely – her translucent appearance was proof of this – so what were the chances? Freya sat down against the wall with her legs tucked under the skirt of her dress. Her wings were folded tightly against her back and her arms were placed delicately in her lap.

The girl closed her amber eyes and concentrated, trying to see what he was dreaming about. Flashes of his dream caught her attention. So, he was dreaming about what happened earlier today, was he? She concentrated harder and then…it was like she was viewing his dream like a movie.

_Sora, Riku, and Kairi were sitting on a tree that overlooked the ocean. Well, only Kairi and Sora were actually sitting on the tree. Riku was leaning up against it._

"_So…Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" the brunette boy asked, breaking the silence around them._

"_Could be," Riku responded, silvery hair glinting in the light of the setting sun, "We'll never know by staying here."_

"_But how far could a raft take us?" the brunette boy responded, looking towards his older friend._

"_Who knows?" Riku responded once again. "If we have to, we'll think of something else." It was then that the red headed girl inserted her opinion on the matter._

"_So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?" she questioned the oldest of the three. He shrugged, turning to look out at the glittering sea._

"_Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just…" he trailed off for a couple of seconds," I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds…" he trailed off again as he tried to find the right words, "Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?" he finished, still looking out towards the sea._

_The brunette boy shrugged and went to lie on the branch of the oddly shaped tree. "I don't know."_

"_That's why we need to go out there and find out." He said with emotion, "Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go." He continued with compassion. This was something the boy had been striving to do for a long while._

"_You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" the red headed girl asked, quietly. Riku turned to her and gave her the barest twitch of his lips._

"_Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this." He softly said, staring into her eyes. "Kairi…" he trailed off, enjoying her attention, "Thanks." _

"_You're welcome." She giggled, swinging her feet._

The winged girl rapidly blinked as the scene washed away. Freya frowned, feeling a sense of loneliness fill her being. She wondered why Sora had stopped dreaming, but it made sense since he had woken up. She giggled and the brunette boy jumped. He sat up, looking around wildly.

"I wish I could talk to you." He said sadly in a soft voice. She sighed, plucking another feather from her wings. It was a larger feather than the others, like the kind one would decorate their hair with. She blew at the feather and let it go at the same time – it became tangible, but it also flew towards Sora at the same time. He gasped, lunging for the feather before it flew through the window. He cradled the feather against his chest.

"I wish I could actually see you, let alone touch you and stuff. I know you from somewhere." Sora whispered, leaning back against his pillows. Freya sighed, wondering how she could communicate with him now.

"I know you can't respond, and I don't want you to keep pulling out your feathers… the smaller ones faded away." he said, still cradling the large feather against his chest. Freya started – her smaller feathers faded away? Would that happen with the larger one, too? Would she fade away, herself?

She turned back to Sora to see that he had drifted off to sleep once again with the feather still cradled against his chest. The red headed winged girl smiled softly to herself and concentrated again, wanting to know what he was dreaming about. As she drifted into his mind, she once again saw his dream lay out like a movie.

_After the three's conversation drew to a close, the three of them started to walk back to their boats in order to row home. As the two boys were walking, Riku called for Sora's attention._

"_Sora." He said, tossing the brunette a unique shaped fruit. It was yellow and shaped like a star._

"_You wanted one, didn't you?" he asked the younger boy. Sora stared at it strangely._

"_A Paopu Fruit." He murmured._

"_If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined." Riku explained to the younger boy as he walked past him. "They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what." He gave the brunette boy a smirk ad he glanced at Kairi._

"_C'mon. I know you want to try it." The silver haired boy goaded. Sora flushed, first thinking of Kairi, but then his thoughts turned to the other red headed girl. A certain winged girl._

"_What are you talking…" he was trying to play it off, but he was interrupted by his silver haired friend's laugh. Sora through the Paopu Fruit over the same bridge he had received one of the warm feathers from – he was disappointed when he realized the feathers had faded away – and they ran back towards the boat to row back home._

Everything faded to black, but it wasn't because Sora had stopped dreaming. It was because Freya had fallen asleep as well. Her head had lolled to the side and was resting against her wing. Neither she nor the slumbering boy had any idea that somewhere in another world, important things were beginning to unfold.

There was a castle in the sky, very far away from Destiny Islands. This castle was known as Disney Castle. It was a bright and cheery place, ruled by King Mickey and his Queen, Minnie. Those two just happened to be giant mice. There was also the Royal Magician, Donald, and his sweetheart, Daisy. These two were giant ducks. There was the Captain of the Royal Guard – or others just call him a knight – Goofy. He was a giant bipedal dog.

The Royal Magician, wearing his robes of bright blue, was currently on his way to the large double doors that led to the Receiving Room. It was where King Mickey received his visitors and the commoners of his world.

"Good morning, Your Majesty!" the duck exclaimed, "It's nice to see you this morn…what?" he gasped, frantically looking around the room. It was empty. There was nobody on the throne…and nobody in the Receiving Room. But, suddenly, a golden colored dog named Pluto came out of his hiding spot behind the throne. He held a letter in his mouth. Donald read the letter and he panicked, rushing from the room to search for Goofy.

He finally found the knight outside the castle. The knight was wearing his standard clothing a green turtleneck with a black vest – with pockets – and tan pants. He wore standard brown steel toed shoes and a black belt. With his regular clothing, Goofy wore a yellowish hat with goggles to wrap around his forehead. Currently he was sleeping in the giant garden. Donald approached him and started shouting.

"Wake up, Goofy, wake up!" he exclaimed, waving his hands. "This is serious!" the Royal Magician exclaimed again in urgency. Unfortunately, Goofy is still sleeping so Donald casted a powerful Thunder spell on the knight. That definitely woke him up. He looked up and grinned at the duck.

"Hey there, Donald." He greeted with a wave, "G'morning."

"We've got a problem, Goofy!" the Royal Magician exclaimed, "But don't tell anyone…" he trailed off. He didn't notice that Goofy was ignoring everything that he was saying.

"Queen Minnie?" he questioned, but Donald shook his head.

"Not even the Queen." Donald exclaimed, overexcited once again.

"Daisy?" Goofy questioned, still ignoring what the duck had to say.

"No, it's top secret!" the duck screeched, angry that Goofy wasn't listening to a word that he was saying.

"G'morning, ladies." This time he was actually paying attention. He greeted his Queen and the Lady Daisy with a wave as Donald stopped.

"What?" he questioned, turning around. It was no use. The Queen Minnie and the Lady Daisy, dressed in a royal pink dress and a royal purple respectively and their respective crowns, had seem the two conversing about something that was top secret. Donald tried to laugh it off, but it was no use.

Once Queen Minnie had those hands on her hips she got anything she wanted.


	4. Destiny Islands Part Three

**Hey guys! I'm so excited that school's going to end soon. Anyway, here's the next chapter =D **

**Oh! If anyone wants to give me some physical or magical techniques for Freya, I might put them in the story if they seem cool enough XD. I've already got a small list of magical abilities.**

**Thanks to:**

**Mic Mov - Yeah, I do like writing things like this. I don't know if I've told you already, but Freya is turning out to be one of my favorite OCs.**

**mysteriousguy898 - Your name made me lol. Seriously. =P Anyway, I fixed the comment about the trapezoids. I swear I can do math! Really lol.**

**Disclaimer: Square Enix and Disney own the characters. I only own Freya!**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Destiny Islands Part Three**

* * *

The next morning Sora had gotten up bright and early. As he walked around the room, the noise woke Freya from her light sleep. Unfortunately, the feather that Freya had given him had simply disappeared like all of the others.

The brunette boy knew that the feathers hadn't been a dream. He could still feel the warmth they had given off like they were still grasped in his hands. He sighed, wanting nothing more than to actually see the red headed winged girl again. It was no use delaying so the boy scarfed down some breakfast and hurried to the boat.

Freya wasted no time in following the boy. With white wings spread wide she took to the sky, easily keeping up with the boat as he made it to the other island. She looked down at him, sadly thinking how she would like nothing but to be able to hold his hand or actually talk to him in a conversation.

The brunette boy docked his boat and jumped onto the island. He grinned, running towards the door on the other side of the bridge connecting the main island to the miniature island. He opened the door and hesitated a second. During that second Freya took her chance to zip by him, wings folded tightly to her body. The brunette let out a small smile as he felt the breeze she created – it wasn't a considerably windy day.

On the other side, after Sora closed the door behind him, Riku called his name.

"Hey Sora! Let's name the raft Highwind." He said, but Sora shook his head.

"No, I want to name the raft Excalibur!" he replied with a pouty face. The two argued back and forth, drawing a giggle from the girl sitting on the edge of the area they were standing on. Her legs were swinging back and forth and her wings were flared out behind her. Finally the two decided that they were going to race.

As the two were getting into their racing position, the red headed girl, Kairi, appeared in the area.

"You guys at it again?" she sighed, flickering her eyes in slight annoyance. She wore a smile, however.

"Alright, I'll be the judge. The usual rules apply: take any route you want. First one to tag that tree and make it back here wins." She said. The two nodded and got into their starting positions. Freya stood and bent over, peering into each boy's face. She was curious.

"If I win, I'm captain!" Sora exclaimed, letting out a huge grin, "And if you win…" he trailed off, thinking.

"I get to share the Paopu with Kairi." Riku quickly said. Freya started – why was it important for him to share a Paopu with the red headed girl? Unless, he liked her…yeah, that was most likely.

"Huh?" Sora started, surprised.

"Deal?" Riku questioned, "The winner gets to share a Paopu with Kairi." The challenge was on, but Sora had little time to respond to the challenge.

"Wha…? Wait a minute!" he panicked, thinking of Freya. Maybe he didn't want to share a Paopu with Kairi. Maybe he wanted to share a Paopu with Freya? Said red headed winged girl cocked her head in confusion – why didn't he want to spend the rest of his life with Kairi? She seemed like a nice girl…

"Okay…on my count!" she said, raising her hand over her head. Freya spread her wings and jumped into the sky once again. The soft and warm air currents caught her wings, bringing her high into the sky. She saw the tree that they had to touch and smiled, spiraling in the sky as a hawk would.

She barely watched the race, which Riku ended up winning just because Sora fell into the water, and was content on trying to see the rest of the island. She finally saw their little raft, but she was worried that she wouldn't be able to fit on it when they started their journey. She only landed when she saw that Sora was going to collect more objects for his journey.

"Today we collect provisions for our trip!" the red headed girl exclaimed with a smile, "Let's see, Sora, you're looking for... One Seagull Egg. Three Mushrooms. Two Coconuts. Three Fish. And fill this up with Drinking Water. But not from the ocean!" she said. She looked a little too happy to be giving others work. Kairi handed the brunette boy an empty bottle and he looked at it, a little confused at what it was for. This was where Freya let out a true bout of laughter.

Sora jumped when he heard Freya's true laughter. A warm feeling swelled in his chest and he found a grin forming on his face.

"Bring everything back here. If you need any help, just ask." The red headed girl said, giving him a small smile. Freya sighed and looked around, trying to see if she could help the brunette boy again. She reached out her senses, smelling two mushrooms and some fresh water close to where they were. She let out a giggle and plucked a feather, hovering over the large bolder that was behind Sora and Kairi.

Sora turned at the sound of Freya's giggle, remembering the other day when she helped him find his items. He spotted the feather that was falling towards the boulder and ran forward to catch it. The brunette stared at the boulder hard after catching the feather before he pushed it to the side. There was his first mushroom.

"Thanks, Freya…" he murmured, plucking the mushroom. He heard her sigh and he perked up. The winged girl was still translucent, but at least he could hear other sounds she could make. Freya flew towards the other mushroom, trying to think of how to lure him here. Finally she decided to move back to where he was and plucked a feather from her other wing. She dropped it above him and watched as he saw the feather fall. Just when he was about to catch it, she flapped her wings hard. The gust from her wings sent the feather over the rock wall and sent him running after the feather. When he found it, he found the second mushroom.

The brunette boy smiled, thankful to have as much help from her as she was willing to give. Now, for fresh water…she flew up and to the water. She wondered if she were able to swim…or make a noise if she dove into the water. Well, there was only one way to find out. Sora was standing on the bridge leading to the water, looking down at the water itself. She tucked her white wings to her back and spiraled down to the miniature waterfall…landing with a loud SPLASH!

She did it!

As she fluttered her wings in the water, the droplets were spewing everywhere. Freya was drawing enough attention to her that Sora noticed the little waterfall.

"Fresh water!" he said to himself as he jumped into the water. He landed just in front of the winged girl and when she turned around she was inches away from his face. A bright flush appeared on her face and she beat her wings until she was in the air once again, sending water droplets raining down on the brunette boy. She giggled at his playful protest, but after dropping a feather in front of the door, Sora got the hint.

He immediately ran for the water, figuring the fish would be easier to find there. In a flash he had collected three of them, and then came the seagull egg. It was difficult to get him there, but Freya knocked it off the tree while Sora was running towards the still falling water droplets coming from her wings and clothing. He made it in time and caught the egg…but a sinister feeling was coming from a cave where the Guardian Angel smelt the last remaining mushroom.

Apparently Sora knew where to go for the last mushroom. He slowly walked over to the small cave and crawled through. Freya tucked her wings to her back and crawled through to the other side of the cave as well. Her wings were still tucked around her as a cold chill passed down her spine. After Sora picked up the mushroom he saw the carving of Kairi and himself and smiled. He suddenly had the bright idea to draw the face of Freya. He wasn't the best artist, but the action made the winged girl's heart to thump in her chest. When he was finished with the picture, he had drawn two wings on either side of her face. It was quite cute indeed.

When he had finished, however, a man in a black cloak appeared behind Sora. Freya gasped and the brunette boy somehow heard her. He twisted around in an alarmed fashion, spying the man in the dark cloak.

"Wh-Who's there?" Sora demanded, trying to figure out who the cloaked figure was.

"I've come to see the door to this world." The hooded figure said in a deep baritone voice.

"Huh?" the brunette boy questioned, not really understanding.

"This world has been connected." The hooded figure continued as if he had never been interrupted.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Sora stuttered, still not really understanding the gibberish that the robed man was spewing.

"Tied to the darkness...soon to be completely eclipsed." The robed man continued to ignore him. Sora got angry as he remembered that Freya could have come into the cave behind him. He didn't want to be seen as wimpy.

"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this." The brunette boy threatened cutely with his lip pouted. It caused the winged girl to chuckle softly, making a soft blush dust across his pale face.

"Huh? Wh-Where did you come from?" he continued, shaking his fist at the figure again. Instead, the hooded figure turned his darkened face to look at Freya.

"Neither of you know of what lies beyond the door." He said. Freya was shocked; he could see her?

"So, you're from another world!" Sora gasped.

"There is so very much to learn." The hooded figure drawled, "You understand so little. You underestimate the purpose of your Guardian Angel…"

"Oh, yeah? Well, you'll see. I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there! And I'll help Freya find her purpose!" the red headed girl winced. She knew her purpose, but it was not a happy one.

"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing. Her purpose is both one of light and darkness. She is a purity who repels the darkness." Was all that the dark figured male said. He then looked over to the door without a handle. Both Freya and Sora looked to the door as well, but when they looked back the dark robed figure was gone.

Since the brunette boy had all of his provisions so he decided to go give them all to Kairi. When he handed them over, the young red headed girl smiled. He asked about the necklace that she was making.

"This?" she asked, holding up the necklace, "I'm making a necklace of thalassa shells. In the old days, sailors always wore thalassa shells. They were supposed to ensure a safe voyage." She explained with a gentle smile. Freya smiled as well, enjoying the scene in front of her. She only wished that the two of them could see her…maybe then the empty feeling inside of her would vanish.

As Sora handed over the provisions, Kairi smiled in thanks.

"Thanks, Sora!" she giggled, making the other red headed girl feel a little jealous.

"I found something today, too. Here, it's yours." She said, handing the brunette boy a Hi-Potion. Freya snorted, seriously doubting that she did anything remotely helpful that day. Sora let out a sigh, then had to cover his mouth as he yawned.

"Tired?" she giggled, "Want to call it a day?" Sora couldn't help but to compare her giggle with Freya's. It was weird. He hadn't even known of Freya's existence for very long, but he kept finding things to compare to her…but none of them even came close to her. Finally the brunette nodded.

"Yeah, let's go home." He said. Freya looked at the two with sad eyes. She had really wanted to give Sora a hug when he had yawned. She fisted her hands as hard as she could, not caring that little drops of blood were staining the sand. Sora was too busy with Kairi to notice anyway. She just wanted to hug him – was that too hard to ask? Apparently it was since she was freaking intangible!

"Okay, tomorrow's the big day. We should rest up!" the younger red headed girl said, and the two of them, with Freya trailing behind them, made their way to the dock. The two of them started up a conversation, leaving Freya to stand behind them with a tear trailing down her face.

"You know, Riku has changed." The red headed girl said.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, confused.

"Well..." Kairi drawled, cutting herself off.

"You okay?" the brunette boy asked, voice full of concern.

"Sora, let's take the raft and go—just the two of us!" Kairi exclaimed, voice full of excitement. Freya's head snapped up and she tried to yell for him not to accept her proposal. All Sora heard was a feminine voice shouting his name on the wind, but he couldn't understand what it was saying.

"Huh?" Sora asked, referring mostly to the voice he heard in the wind.

"Just kidding." Kairi sighed.

"What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi." Sora commented, looking at her with a concerned gaze.

"Maybe... You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready." She said. Freya could feel a sappy moment coming on. The winged girl was feeling extremely jealous – she couldn't stand that Kairi could have a sappy moment with him and she couldn't.

"No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?" she asked. Freya narrowed her eyes, heart constricting harshly as Sora smiled at her.

"Yeah, of course!" he grinned and nodded.

"That's good." She said back, "Sora, don't ever change."

"Huh?" he questioned, but Kairi ignored him.

"I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great." She said and the two of them finally made their way to their separate houses. Freya, instead of following Sora, she decided to sit and think about her purpose.

Freya knew that the only reason she was created was so that she could protect the one who held the key. So far she hadn't met the one who held the key…but she was still alive. It was true that she was there in the sense of being alive, but she wasn't tangible. It wasn't possible. And then there was the fact that she felt so incredibly drawn to Sora.

Perhaps…he was the one who held the key? She could only hope. She looked up at the night sky, looking at the twinkling stars.

Meanwhile, however, in Disney Castle, the Queen Minnie was having the letter her husband left them read aloud.

**Donald,**

**Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye, but there's big trouble brewin.**

**Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one.**

**And that means disaster can't be far behind.**

**I hate to leave you all but I've gotta go check into it.**

**There's someone with a 'key' – the key to our survival.**

**So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him.**

**Got it?**

**There's gonna be someone with him – someone with wings.**

**A Guardian Angel.**

**We need that key or we're doomed.**

**So go to Traverse Town and find Leon.**

**He'll point you in the right direction.**

**P.S - Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, Pal.**

"Oh, dear!" the Lady Daisy exclaimed, pacing back and forth, "What could this mean?" she questioned again as they finished listening to the letter.

"It means we'll just have to trust the King." The Queen Minnie said, placing faith in her missing husband.

"Gawrsh, I sure hope he's all right." Goofy said, sad that he couldn't be with his close friend.

"Your Highness." Donald started, trying to console the worried mouse, "Don't worry. We'll find the king and this 'key.'"

The Queen turned to smile at him.

"Thank you, both of you." She thanked, nodding at them.

"Daisy, can you take care of…" he trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say.

"Of course." His girlfriend responded, "You be careful, now, both of you." She said, becoming worried about her other. She didn't want to spend any time away from Donald, but she knew that the safety of the worlds came first.

"Oh, and to chronicle your travels, he will accompany you." The Queen nodded her head to a little jumping figure on the desk of the King. It turned out to be a little cricket.

"Over here!" he shouted, stopping his jumping after he successfully gained Donald's attention, "Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service." He said, taking off his top hat and giving a low bow.

"We hope for your safe return. Please help the king." She pleaded, wanting them to find her husband and bring him back safe and unharmed. Donald agreed to take on the job while Goofy stood saluting next to the Queen Minnie and the Lady Daisy. The Royal Magician threw a fit and grabbed Goofy's arm.

"You're coming, too!" Donald shouted. After the decision for them to leave, the two of them found themselves on their way to the ship hanger.

"Gawrsh, Jiminy, your world disappeared, too?" the Knight asked, an innocent tinge to his voice.

"It was terrible." The cricket wailed, "We were scattered. And as far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this castle." He said, mourning for the others from his world.

"Goofy?" Donald said, throwing a glance to the Knight's actions. He wasn't supposed to inquire about other worlds.

"Oh, right... I gotcha." Goofy said brightly, "While we're in the other worlds, we can't let on

where we're from. We've gotta protect the world border." He happily supplied.

"Order." Donald automatically corrected.

"Right. World order." The Knight replied. The two of them proceeded into the next room while the Knight worried about their clothes. They couldn't exactly explore other worlds while they were still in their normal clothing.

"I guess we'll need new duds when we get there." He told the other figure. Donald ignored him, speaking through a pipe in the wall instead.

"Hello up there?" he exclaimed through the pipe, "Donald Duck to launch crew! Anytime you're ready." He yelled to them. One chipmunk, Chip, understands what Donald was trying to tell them so the other chipmunk, Dale, pulls the lever to make the crane carry both Donald and Goofy to the Ship's cockpit. The ship's type was called a Gummi Ship.

"Blast off!" Donald exclaimed, pressing a button. It was still for a few seconds before the ship was ejected from the bottom of the world. The ship quickly rights itself and takes off into space.

Meanwhile, Sora is lying in his bed wondering about Kairi. Suddenly, his thoughts turn to Freya. He was worried about her. All of the feathers she had given him that day had already disappeared and he didn't hear any of her giggling or laughter in his room like he did the night before. He was worried about her.

Suddenly, the thunder from a storm outside caught his attention. He had a delayed reaction and then suddenly jerked to a sitting position.

"A storm? Oh, no, the raft!" he exclaimed, then his thoughts turned to a certain winged girl.

"Freya…" he whispered as he dressed and climbed out the window. He then proceeded to row his small boat over to the island. A dark sphere was protruding from the sky and he saw a shimmering form of a winged girl floating underneath it.

It was Freya!

He barely registered the fact that both Riku's boat and Kairi's boat were beside his. With his wooden sword, he jumped off the small wooden pier. He was about halfway to the middle of the beach when he was surrounded by a group of weird looking shadows. The brunette boy tried to take care of them, but his sword just passed right through the shadows. Eventually, he gave up and rushed towards the shack. He tore through it and raced across the bridge…to where Riku was waiting.

He had found Freya and Riku…but where was Kairi?

"Where's Kairi?" he exclaimed, heart pounding, "I thought she was with you! And why's Freya floating under the sphere? Is she hurt?" he shouted, worried for the unconscious girl.

"The door has opened...and the power of the Guardian Angel has awakened." He said in a monotone.

"What?" Sora questioned, looking at the back of his best friend.

"The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!" Riku exclaimed in an almost hysterical voice.

"What are you talking about? We've gotta find Kairi! We've gotta get Freya down from there! And…why is she see-through?" he questioned, frustrated at his friend's lack of emotion.

Suddenly, Riku snapped.

"Kairi's coming with us! I couldn't care less about that girl up there… but once we step through the door, we might not be able to come back." He said, "We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" as he continued his voice went from a soft murmur to a loud hysterical cry.

"Riku!" Sora cried out as black shadowy circles formed under both of the boys. Riku turned so that his hand was stretched out behind him, towards his friend. The darkness engulfed both of the boys…but, suddenly, the light engulfed Sora.

_**Keyblade... Keyblade... **_the mysterious voice from his dream said as a mysterious key-like sword appeared in his hand. Suddenly, just like in his dream, Freya's **SOLID** body came floating down towards his open arms.

She was wearing the same dress as in his dream, but she wasn't opening her eyes. Freya landed in his arms and he gently lowered her to the ground, not thinking about the shadows that were gathering behind them. He leaned forward, closing his eyes as he bowed his head over the winged girl, hoping with all of his heart that she would open her eyes. The shadows leaped out at him and would have landed on him, but a shout cut him off.

"Ice Shards!" Freya's feminine voice exclaimed. A wind passed and a cold chill passed him by as he opened his eyes. The winged girl was no longer in his arms, but she was standing in front of him with her staff twirling in front of her, wings flared out to the sides in a protective manner. The white gem on top of her staff was glowing blue. Long icy shards were falling from the sky, impaling the shadows that were threatening them.

"Freya!" Sora exclaimed, getting to his feet as she stopped twirling the staff. She had successfully taken care of the shadows. A soft smile was on her face as she turned around. Leaning her staff against one of the trees, she rushed forward and hugged the brunette boy.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." She whispered as he hugged her back tightly.

"I think I do." He whispered back. Their little moment was ruined, however as more shadows attacked them. Both warriors had no choice but to fight their way through the shadows.

Suddenly, a bright yet dark light flashes, blinding them for a moment. The ground below them disappeared so Freya flared her wings and snatched a hold of both Sora's wrist and her staff. The winged girl brought them down to the ground of a now floating island – the only thing left of Destiny Islands – as the familiar giant black shadow materialized in front of them.

"Sora! Are you ready?" she questioned as he called forth the strange sword he had been gifted with. The keyblade.

He lifted the blade as the Darkside began his attack, bringing his fists forward and punching one of his fists into the ground.

"Sora, attack his wrists! I'll attack his head!" Freya exclaimed before casting a defensive spell on him.

"Anima Shield." She whispered, pecking him on the cheek. He felt a warm feeling spread through his body and he felt like he could take on anything.

"Be safe." He said to her and she smiled, nodding. She flew up to attack the Darkside's head, morphing the end of her staff – where the crystal was – into that of a glaive. She was now able to slash at its eyes.

The battle went on for a long while, but Sora felt like he hadn't been injured at all. He wasn't aware that all of his damage was being directed to Freya by the defensive spell she had cast on him. When he looked at her body, he was surprised and horrified to find that it was covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises. She was wounded, but she kept fighting like a trooper.

Suddenly, the fight was over as soon as it began. The Darkside roared in pain before being sucked up by the force of the black orb.

"Sora!" Freya exclaimed, floating down towards him. He couldn't help but notice that Freya was wearing skin tight shorts underneath the skirt as her skirt flared out when she flew. He ran forward and both of their weapons disappeared in a flash of light.

"Freya." He cried, "Don't let go!" he exclaimed, holding onto her hands as tightly as he could. Suddenly, they were both swept up towards the circle. The last words he heard before they were sucked into the abyss were:

"I'm glad that you were the one with the key, Sora. I'll protect you with my life."

He wondered why his heart felt so heavy when she told him that.


	5. Traverse Town

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here's the next chapter for A Love for the Sky!**

**So, first things first. I have a couple of names for physical moves for Freya because I don't want her to just use purely magic. Come up with some sort of action for it and I'll use it in my story =P**

**This is what I have: **

**Constellation Stroke  
Flying Vision  
Shield Meteor  
Noble Dragon Star  
Heavenly Stroke  
Cursed Hand  
Cascading Star  
Torrent Wind  
Noble Dream**

**Yeah, come up with effects for them and I'll use it.**

**Thanks to:**

**Healing Knight - Thanks! I'll try to update often. I'm putting my other stories on a short Hiatus. **

**mysteriousguy898 - XD I solved your little problem of only having three seats. I gave them rooms, too...I mean, where would they sleep?**

**Mic Mov - I know right. XD You'll see her new outfit soon! Let me tell you, she'll get frustrated with the new outfits popping up all over the place because once she'll get used to one then another one appears.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Traverse Town **

* * *

In a dark damp town, a refugee for people who had lost their homes, both Donald and Goofy were trying to find the man that the King had mentioned in his letter. Leon. You'd think he'd be easy to find with such a unique name in this day and age, but it was quite the opposite. He was quite hard to find.

Suddenly, as Goofy looked upward, he saw a star sputter and die. Said star just so happened to be a place called Destiny Island.

"Look, a star's goin' out!" the Knight cried as he pointed to the sky. The said star sputtered one last time as both Donald and Goofy looked up at the ever darkening sky. It went out completely and both figures felt a sense of foreboding creep into their hearts.

"Come on." Donald said, worry creeping into his voice, "Let's hurry." He said as they moved further into the town. Pluto, the King's dog, was with them in order to help them find the boy with the key and his Guardian Angel. They had been searching for a while before the three of them stopped.

Pluto, however, had caught the scent of a certain brunette boy.

"Where's that key..." Donald said to himself as he tried to think. Where would a boy holding the key be?

"Hey, ya know, maybe we ought to go find Leon." The Knight suggested, thinking Leon might be able to help them find the one with the Key. Pluto, following his nose, went in the other direction that they were going. He smelt two important figures of this journey. Goofy saw the dog going in the other direction and tried to get Donald's attention.

"Uh, Donald?" he tried to get the other figure's attention, "Ya know…I betcha that…" but Donald interrupted him.

"Aw, what do you know, you big palooka?" the duck muttered, waving his hand. The Knight thought about this extremely hard, but ended up shrugging his shoulders.

"What do I know? Hm…" but he gave up thinking after a short while, "Come on, Pluto." He called out to the orange dog before following his companion.

Pluto, the orange dog, had discovered the unconscious forms of both Sora and Freya. Sora was leaning up against the wall behind a pile of barrels. Freya was lying curled up in Sora's lap, head leaning against his chest and wings protectively flared around the two of them. Their hands were connected and their fingers were intertwined, even in their slumber. Freya, unfortunately, still had the scrapes and bruises she had acquired from fighting the giant dark shadow.

The orange dog pawed at the two of them, going as far as licking Sora's face. He groaned and mumbled, pushing Pluto away with his unoccupied hand. It didn't work and soon Sora was waking up.

"What a dream…" the brunette boy moaned, feeling something warm nestled on top of him. Pluto nudged his face again and Sora's bright blue eyes focused on Freya's unconscious form.

"This isn't a dream! Freya, are you okay?" he exclaimed, moving them so that he was on his knees and her upper body was resting against his arm.

"Freya, this isn't funny. Wake up!" he started to lightly tap her face, like he did back at the islands. He started to panic when she wouldn't wake up.

"Freya? Freya! Wake up!" he continued to lightly tap her face. When that didn't work, he started to gently shake her shoulders. "C'mon, please…" he whispered, tears welling in his eyes.

Suddenly, he remembered that he had the two hi-potions that Kairi had given him before the islands disappeared. He wiped the tears from his eyes and the bright blue orbs set in a determined gaze.

"Freya, I'm going to make you better…okay?" he talked to her the entire time he was fumbling with his pockets. Once he found one of the bottles, he pulled the stopper out with his teeth. He gently nudged Freya's mouth open and poured the suspiciously colored liquid down her throat. The winged girl coughed and sputtered before slowly opening her amber colored eyes.

"Sora?" she softly asked, slowly sitting up with the help of said brunette boy.

"Whoa, take it easy. Are you okay, Freya?" Sora questioned as they both stood up. The red headed girl shook her head before giving him a small smile.

"Thank you for caring about me, Sora, but you don't need to. It's my job to look after you and protect you from the darkness." She softly said, sadness evident in her eyes. It was almost like she was expecting him to shrug and then walk away. Sora, however, looked down at her with something akin to horror.

"No, you're my friend! I'm not gonna abandon one of my friends. So what if you're supposed to protect me. I'll protect you, too. We'll watch each other's backs." He said, pumping a fist in the air. He drew a small, familiar giggle from the winged girl in front of him but there was a lingering sadness in her gaze. She knew something that he didn't, but he wouldn't press her.

It was then that the two of them noticed that the dog was still there.

"Hey, boy. Do _you_ know where we are?" he questioned, taking Freya's hand and leading her to the dog. Instead of letting himself be pet, the dog ran away. The winged girl giggled again as Sora seemed to deflate. The two of them walked out from the alley and stared around the town in awe.

"This is totally weird…we're in another world!" he exclaimed, tightening his grip on Freya's hand as he pulled her behind him. The two of them explored the town a little, getting stairs due to the white pristine wings on Freya's back. Soon she stopped, looking at the ground.

"Sora, why don't you continue on and I'll wait here for you?" she asked in a quiet voice. She wasn't used to all the stares that the people were giving her, but she only felt a tug on her hand. Freya looked up, amber eyes meeting worried blue.

"Why, what's wrong?" he asked, a frown marring his cute features.

"I…" she started, wincing when they started to whisper and point at her.

"Oh, let me guess. You're self conscious about you're wings, right?" he asked her in a gentle voice. Freya only nodded and moved herself closer to him as the townspeople continued to whisper and point.

"Well, I think they're beautiful. Don't worry about them." he said with a smile, "And besides. We can't watch each other's back if you're here waiting, can we?" he asked, squeezing her hand again. The red headed girl could only smile back at him, happy that she had a friend like Sora in the first place.

"Okay…" she softly said and with that they made their way to the Accessory shop. They walked in and a tall blond man greeted them. The tall blond man had goggles on his forehead, a white shirt, dark blue pants with a brown striped sash around his waist, grey leg warmers, and navy shoes. He wore only a dog tag necklace for an accessory, but he was chewing on a toothpick when the two of them walked in.

"Hey there, how can I…" he trailed off when he saw Sora. "Aw, it's only a kid."

It was then that the brunette kid got riled up. He glared at the shop owner and shouted, "I'm not a kid!" he gave the shopkeeper another, softer, glare and replied in a softer voice, "And the name's Sora!" after he had introduced himself, Freya popped her head over his shoulder. She was a little shorter than he was, after all.

"I'm Freya." She softly said, blushing when Cid turned his gaze to her. A large grin spread across his face when he noticed their intertwined hands.

"Oh-ho-ho! Is she yer girlfrien' or somethin'?" both Freya and Sora blushed, but neither of them made to let go of each others' hands. The brunette boy glared at the shopkeeper once again, but he just laughed and put his hands up in a defensive manner.

"Okay, okay, simmer down." He laughed, "So why the long face, Sora? You and Freya lost or somethin'?" he asked.

"No…" but that was all Sora could say before Freya put her hand over his mouth.

"Yes…we're a little lost. Can you tell us where we are?" she quietly and politely asked. For some reason the tall blond man intimidated her. She removed her hand from a blushing Sora's mouth in order so he could recount the story.

The old man's reactions were genuine enough so that the winged girl relaxed and stepped out from behind Sora. The blond man's eyes widened due to her wings, but he didn't really do anything that made Freya self conscious. He then told the two teenagers the name of the town.

"Traverse Town…" Sora said, testing he name of the town in his own voice, "So, gramps, is this really another world?" he asked, drawing a cute giggle from the winged girl beside him. Her heart felt light when she realized that he still hadn't let go of her hand.

"Don't call me gramps!" the blond haired man griped, "The name's Cid." He continued, throwing a miniature hissy fit. Freya let out a little laugh at the older man's antics. Sora, however, secretly smiled at the winged girl's improved mood.

"Anyway…not sure what you're talkin' about, but this sure ain't your island." The older man said. Both teenagers seemingly deflated at Cid's grin.

"Hm…" Sora contemplated, "Guess we'd better start looking for Riku and Kairi." The red headed girl smiled and nodded. She didn't mind Riku – he was actually pretty cute – but the other girl…she always seemed like she walked all over Sora and his kind heart. Freya didn't like her one bit.

"Well, good luck with whatever it is you're doing." Cid said with a small grin, "If you ever run into trouble, you come to me. I'll look out for you."

Freya was shocked. She had never met anyone who would willingly look out for someone before. Perhaps that was the way the world worked. The winged girl didn't know. She was a Guardian Angel, after all. She had one purpose and one purpose only.

Things quieted down after that and the two of them went to browse the equipment. Freya convinced Sora to buy a defense bracer, she didn't know what they were called, and gasped as it seemingly melted into Sora's skin. He laughed at her and explained that it was supposed to look like it wasn't there so it wouldn't get in the way, but it helped with defense and such. She was about to pay for the bracer with the money she had found in her pocket – she had no idea where it came from, but she wasn't going to let it go to waste! – but Sora drew her back.

"You need something other than that to hold your hair back." He quietly said, pointing to the ratty piece of cloth that was holding her hair in its braid. She flushed as he held out a sparkling clip to her. Freya's eyes widened as the brunette boy flushed.

"It's so pretty, Sora. Thank you." She whispered in awe. The clip was small enough not to slip off of the end of her braid, but big enough so that would hold her hair together. On it was a small crown. It was identical to the one that was on Sora's necklace. The brunette beamed as she unbraided her hair and re-braided it, taking the time that she was distracted to pay for their purchases. He had saved up quite a bit from the island. He dragged her out of the shop before she could say anything, but a small smile was on her flushed face.

The two of them made their way to the Second District, jumping back and holding out his arm to stop Freya as a man fell to the ground in front of them. He shuddered, gasping his last breath as his heart was taken over by a dark shadow. Then, the same shadows that had appeared on the Islands appeared. Freya jerked around Sora's hand, summoning her staff in front of her. She twirled it, challenging the shadows to hurt her charge.

"It's those creatures from the island!" he exclaimed, summoning the Keyblade to fight with. Freya fought valiantly by his side as the two of them searched the three districts. She was about to use her Anima Shield spell on him again, but she saw that he was fighting perfectly fine without it. He hardly had a scratch on him. She smiled and continued fighting alongside of him.

When the two of them had finished exploring, they went back to the Accessory shop to talk to Cid. There was no sign of Riku or Kairi anywhere.

"Still haven't found 'em?" Cid asked with a sympathetic tinge to his voice, "Keep your chin up. Take another look around town." He said. Sora sighed, but brightened as Freya laced their fingers together again. They went outside, but were interrupted by a stranger.

"They'll come at you out of nowhere." A deep yet soft voice caught both Sora and Freya's attention.

"Who are you?" the brunette boy asked with a small glare. He threw out his arm to prevent Freya from taking a step forward. The red headed girl huffed – it was like he had no sense of self preservation. She was there to protect him, not the other way around!

"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade." The soft voice of the mysterious man continued, "And I see you have the Keyblade's Guardian Angel…so it is real." He whispered the last part, giving the winged girl a saddened and pained look. It was almost like he knew what would happen to her at the end of their journey.

"But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?" the man questioned himself. It did little except to make Sora angry.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" the brunette boy exclaimed, eyes narrowed. He pushed Freya back and she was suddenly pulled into the shadows. Her mouth was covered by a feminine hand.

"Let them fight it out." The feminine voice whispered in her ear. Freya, however, didn't want to let them fight. Her staff appeared in her arms, but the woman who was holding her twisted it away. She could do nothing as the pain in her back intensified as the woman pressed against a tender spot – her wings were sensitive when pressed in a certain way.

"Never mind. Now, let me see that Keyblade." The darker brunette asked. Freya took this time to examine him much more closely. He had long chocolate colored hair that reached down towards the middle of his back and dull, cold blue eyes. He wore a white tee shirt and long black pants. Navy-black boots were on his feet and black leather gloves were on his hands. He wore a cropped leather jacket with a red lion-like symbol on the sleeve. He wore a black belt to hold up his pants and another black plus two brown belts were crisscrossed over his hips. Three smaller brown belts were on his lower left arm.

In his arms he held a very large sword crossed with a gun. Freya vaguely remembered something about it being called a 'gunblade' but she couldn't remember where she had heard it from.

"What? There's no way you're getting this!" Sora exclaimed, thinking that Freya was still right behind him.

"All right, then have it your way." The chocolate haired man smirked. Freya fought to get to Sora, but the woman who held her pushed harshly against her weak spot – just under the base of her wings. She cried out, but the sound was muffled due to the woman's hand over her mouth.

Freya watched as the chocolate haired male and Sora exchanged blows. She sighed, trying to cast spells to help him, but each time she tried to do so the woman behind her would jab harshly into her weak spot. The fight was a short one, but Freya had never felt so useless in her entire short existence.

The fight was over all too soon as the chocolate haired male fell to his knees. Sora was as exhausted as the chocolate haired male looked.

"Now...you're...gonna...you're gonna..." and Sora fell back onto the ground unconscious. The woman let Freya go and she instantly dashed forward, picking her staff up as she went. She hovered over the unconscious form of Sora, tears sparkling in her eyes. Freya looks over the multitude of scrapes and bruises while lightly placing her hands over his chest. Her wings flared and her eyes started to glow.

"Complete Healing." She whispered, smiling slightly as the damage on Sora's skin was reversed. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness attacked her consciousness and she, too, succumbed to the darkness. She fell, head landing on Sora's chest as her wings flared protectively to the side. It was then that the woman holding Freya captive spoke.

"Aw, you're slipping, Leon." She said. The woman stepped into the light, reveling that she was wearing a very short green shirt, covering only her bust and held up by thick blue straps, extremely short yellow shorts with a bright blue belt, thigh high white socks with yellow shoes, fishnet arm warmers that reached her shoulders, orange arm guards with grey straps, a yellow scarf, and a grey cloth wrapped around her forehead.

"I went easy on him." the man named Leon grumbled, "Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse." He softly said.

Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy were still searching for the King; however, they lost Pluto on their journey. They were walking down a deserted alleyway behind the hotel.

"Gawrsh, there's nobody here. Sure is spooky!" Goofy exclaimed, hiding behind his hands. Donald was scared as well, but he was trying not to let it show. He had to keep up his tough reputation, after all.

"Aw, phooey. I'm not scared." He said in a tough voice. It was as he said this that a feminine hand tapped on his shoulder. Donald proceeded to freak out, screaming as he latched onto the Knight. The two of them turned to see a pretty woman dressed in pink. She wore a long pink dress and brown boots. A simple purple sash was tied around her waist and several bangles were on her left wrist. A thin ribbon is tied around her neck several times and her brown hair is tied up with a red cloth. Its braided length went down to her hips and was tied off with another piece of red cloth.

The woman's green eyes danced with amusement.

"Excuse me. Did the King send you?" the woman asked, tilting her head to the side. Goofy and Donald looked at her before shrugging, following her into the hotel. They entered their room the same time that Leon and the black haired woman entered theirs. The woman was left to drag the boy onto the bed as Leon carefully carried the winged girl.

"Why'd you leave me with him, Squall?" she huffed as the chocolate haired male gently set Freya down on the bed beside Sora.

"I didn't want you to break one of her wings. Angel wings are hollow like bird wings are, but they have magic in them to carry the weight of their bearers." The chocolate haired male continued, giving the woman a mild glare.

"And it's Leon, Yuffie." He said. They didn't have to wait long before the woman, Yuffie started to get bored. She decided to go over and try to wake the boy up. When he finally responded, however, he thought he heard Kairi's voice.

"Come on, lazy bum. Wake up." Yuffie said, poking the boy. She ignored the girl for the moment and was intent on the waking boy. He groaned and sat up, shaking his head.

"You okay?" Yuffie asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I guess..." he said, shaking his head once again.

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade." Sora looked up in front of him and was surprised to see a blurry picture of Kairi, "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade." She finished. Sora smiled, happy that she was alright.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Kairi." He said. He frowned when 'Kairi' leaned away from him.

"Kairi?" she asked, "Who are you talking about? I'm the great ninja Yuffie." She said. A white flash blinded his vision and Sora saw Yuffie in her true form.

"Is Kairi the name of your friend over there?" Yuffie asked, pointing to the winged girl still slumbering by his side. Sora's eyes grew wide as the black haired woman shook her head.

"I think you might've overdone it, Squall." She mused, turning to face the chocolate haired man that was leaning up against the wall.

"That's Leon." He said for the hundredth time that day. Yuffie paid him no attention and went back to watching Sora and his winged friend.

"Freya!" he exclaimed, leaning over her and shaking her shoulders. He turned to Leon, an angry expression on his face, "What did you do to her?"

Leon did nothing so the brunette boy turned back to his task. He gently nudged her cheeks in an attempt to wake her up. The red headed girl shifted slightly, trying so hard to pry her eyes open.

"We didn't do anything. She healed you and passed out." Yuffie calmly said for once, a big smile spreading across her face. Sora didn't say anything but watched Freya wake with concern. She opened her eyes and amber met blue. Almost immediately she tried to sit up, a worried expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Sora?" she asked, looking him over for bruises or scrapes. Her friend took her hands in his, making her stop.

"I'm fine, but what did you do?" he asked, half concerned half angry that she put herself in harm's way.

"Nothing. I just healed you." She said, confused at his anger.

"By passing out?" he questioned, anger still evident in his voice. Freya shrank back away from his tone and slipped her hands from his.

"I'm sorry," she said in a tiny voice, "But it was the only way for me to heal you. Complete Healing allows us to heal our charges, but it takes our energy. I wasn't in danger…I was just tired." She quietly said, ashamed at making Sora angry at her. Said brunette's eyes softened again and he slipped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a side hug.

"It's okay. Just make sure you don't pass out next time, huh?" he said with a slight smile. Freya looked up at him and nodded, a smile on her face as well. It was then that Yuffie decided to interrupt the two.

"The Keyblade..." she said, gaining both Sora and Freya's attention, "Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures. It turns out that's how they were tracking you." She said, drawing a worried look from the red headed winged girl.

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them. But it won't work for long. Still…hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one." He said. Freya's eyebrows creased.

"Of course he's the one. If he weren't and somehow got hold of the Keyblade anyway, I wouldn't be here. With me, he's awakened the full powers of the blade." She said, "It's my duty to protect him." she added in a quiet voice.

Leon nodded, picking up the oddly shaped blade from the corner of the room. It disappeared in a flash of twirling light, but reappeared in Sora's possession.

"Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers." Leon sighed, trying to come to terms that the Keyblade bearer was a young teenager.

"Why don't you start making sense! What's going on here?" Sora exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. Nothing Leon was saying was making sense. Freya frowned, wanting to explain everything to her charge…but not even she knew everything about the situation. She was just the physical form of the keyblade's spirit – all she knew of was to protect the bearer of her Keyblade.

Meanwhile, in the next room, the woman in the pink dress was explaining everything to Donald and Goofy. She introduced herself as Aerith.

"Okay," she said, sitting down on the bed, "you know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?" she questioned the magic user and the Knight.

"Yeah." Donald said in a questioning tone.

"But they're supposed to be a secret." Goofy also replied, bringing a finger in front of his lips as if telling Aerith to keep it a secret.

"They've been secret because they've never been connected." She continued, nodding her head, "Until now." It was silent for a few seconds before Aerith continued her story.

"When the Heartless came, everything changed."

As Aerith was explaining everything to Donald and Goofy, Leon and Yuffie were explaining it in their terms to Sora and Freya. Both teenagers were sitting up on the bed, but their fingers were intertwined once again. Both of them felt much calmer when they were holding each other's hands. Freya's wings were tucked against her back and her skirts were arranged so that her legs were hidden underneath them. After she had woken up, she had Yuffie help her tighten her corset, but it was a good thing that it wasn't sleeveless! It was embarrassing enough on its own. Yuffie was also kind enough to re-plait her hair.

"The Heartless?" Sora asked in a confused voice. Freya's breath hitched – she remembered the heartless. The dark feeling she received when she was stuck in the darkness, waiting for the Keyblade bearer to release her from the darkness.

"The ones who attacked you, you remember?" Yuffie said. Freya nodded while the brunette boy beside her thought hard.

"Those without hearts. The darkness in people's hearts—that's what attracts them." Leon explained darkly, "And there is darkness within every heart." He added after a pause.

"Hey, have you heard of someone named Ansem?" she asked Sora. Freya was lost in thought – those with hearts have darkness within them, no matter how little. But…she was the physical embodiment of the spirit of the Keyblade. She was purity.

Did that mean she didn't have a heart? But…those without hearts couldn't feel emotions…so she surmised, but she felt emotions. She knew of jealousy and sadness. She knew happiness and despair…but the one thing she wanted to experience and never had was…love.

Meanwhile, Aerith was asking Donald and Goofy the same question. Had they heard of Ansem?

"Ansem?" the Knight asked.

"He was studying the Heartless." Aerith responded to the Knight's question, "He recorded all of his findings in a **very** detailed report." She continued.

"Gawrsh, uh, can we see it?" Goofy asked her innocently. The woman in the pink dress closed her eyes and shook her head. Instantly the mood in the room darkened.

"Its pages are scattered everywhere." She said, sighing.

"Scattered?" Donald questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Too many worlds." Aerith responded simply. Suddenly, the Knight in the room had an idea.

"Oh, then maybe the king went to find 'em." He said, grinning at the other two. The woman in the pink dress smiled back at him kindly.

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly." She replied, happy that they shared the same idea.

"We've gotta find him quick!" Goofy said, becoming excited.

"Wait!" Donald scolded the Knight, "First, we need that 'key'!" he said, huffing.

"That's right. The Keyblade." Aerith jumped into the conversation, catching both Donald and Goofy's attention once again.

In the other room, Sora was holding up the Keyblade. Freya had maneuvered behind him so that she could stretch her wings in the cramped room. Her chin was on his shoulder, but she couldn't see the slight blush that was forming on his face.

"So...this is the key?" he questioned, motioning to the Keyblade. He was trying to ignore the sensation of Freya's breath on his neck.

"Exactly!" Yuffie grinned, noticing the blush on Sora's face but not having enough time to comment on it.

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade. That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what." Leon said, closing his eyes and letting out a quiet breath.

"Well, I didn't ask for this." Sora said in an angry voice. He wasn't thinking about his words, but felt cold when Freya drew back from him, a hurt look on her face. She moved from the bed and went to stand next to Leon.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, looking down at the ground. She turned her head to the side, not wanting Sora to see her wounded expression. He felt bad, wanting to get up and comfort her but he shrank back by the look on Leon's face.

"The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you." She said with a disapproving glance. Freya was still not looking at him, wings drooping behind her as she fingered the silk ribbons on her wrists.

"So tough luck." Leon said, a glare on his face.

"How did all this happen? I remember being in my room..." he said, thinking hard. The ruby haired girl scoffed, turning around to glare at Sora. Tears were sparkling in her eyes.

"So you're telling me you don't remember fighting the dark shadow? You don't remember my promise?" she said, chest stinging. Perhaps she had a heart after all. Sora was shocked, suddenly remembering.

"Wait a minute!" he suddenly exclaimed, making Freya think that he had remembered their battle on the island. She was so wrong.

"What happened to my home? My island? Riku! Kairi!" he sadly said. Freya's eyes watered and a single tear ran down her face. So he would rather look for his friends than appreciate her protection.

"You know what? Maybe they can help you. I'm leaving." She said, eyes darkening to a molten golden color. Before Sora could say anything she turned and left, entering the room next to theirs. Donald and Goofy were shocked, but Aerith was sympathetic. She wrapped an arm around the winged girl as Leon prevented Sora from running after her.

"You know what? I really don't know." he said, moving in front of the door. "But something I do know is that you can't forsake your friends. You were worried about two friends that aren't here and didn't care at all about the one who was with you now. You can't do that if you want to defeat the heartless." The chocolate haired man said.

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments. Sora was feeling horrible for hurting Freya's feelings while Leon was just staring at the Keyblade bearer.

"Sooner or later, the Heartless will find you and Freya. You'd best prepare yourself since she's not here. If I were you I'd make up with her soon." The older male said.

"Prepare yourself?" Sora asked, looking to the door that Freya disappeared behind.

"To fight for your life. Are you ready?" Leon asked.

"What about Freya?" Sora asked, a strange look on his face. It was one of regret. He didn't mean to hurt her feelings. He merely forgot that she was there in his panic about his friends.

"She can look after herself. You're the one that's new at this." Leon bluntly stated. The brunette boy took a moment to ready himself and then turned to Leon with a grin on his face.

"I'm ready!" he exclaimed, determined. He would make up with Freya and they would look for Riku and Kairi together.

"Yuffie, let's go join Aerith. She should be there by now with the other visitors. Freya should be there, too." He said, not noticing the shadow appear in the room. Yuffie and Sora gasped in surprise.

"Leon!" Yuffie exclaimed, pointing to the Heartless Soldier that appeared.

"Yuffie, go!" the chocolate haired man exclaimed. Yuffie ran to the same door Freya disappeared behind and upon opening the door she accidentally flattened Donald between the wall and the door. Freya and Aerith gasped, but the winged girl dashed through the door sensing that Sora was in danger. She may have been emotionally hurt, but it was still her duty to protect him. Aerith, however, went after Yuffie.

Upon seeing Freya appear in the room once again, Sora was about to say something but the winged girl merely shook her head. She summoned her staff and the males readied their respective blades.

"Sora, Freya, let's go!" Leon exclaimed. The Heartless Soldier jumped out of the window. Leon followed the heartless out of the window and the two teenagers followed suit. Instead of landing on the ground, however, Freya took to the skies. She spun her staff in front of her in a menacing manner, destroying the heartless with her spells.

"Don't bother with the small fry. Find the leader! Let's go!" the chocolate haired man exclaimed. Both Sora and Freya nodded their head, putting their small argument aside and deciding to work together.

"Ice Shards!" the winged girl exclaimed, sending icy shards down to impale the small shadows and the Shadow Soldiers. With her help, Sora fought his way to the Third District. The winged girl swooped down so that she could hover beside him. Goofy saw the winged girl and remembered her from the room. He was about to say something to Donald, but he was suddenly surrounded by heartless.

"Gawrsh, are these the Heartless guys?" he questioned, raising his shield in front of his face. Donald had a determined look on his face as he raised his wand.

"Let's go get 'em, Goofy!" Donald exclaimed, casting a weak spell. The heartless attacked both Donald and Goofy and they fell off the balcony. Fortunately Freya saw the two of them and was able to push Sora out of the way. He turned, however and the winged girl landed on him, straddling his waist.

A dark blush formed across their cheeks as Freya stuttered out an apology. She made to get up, but Sora sat up quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist. He had her arms pinned to her sides, keeping her straddling his lap.

"I'm sorry, Freya. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings earlier." He said. Her eyes were still that darkened golden color that didn't suit her. She turned her head to the side in order to avoid Sora's bright blue eyes.

"What you said really hurt. It's my job to protect you. In fact it's the only reason I was created. I don't have friends. You're my first…" she trailed off, trying to figure out what to say. "When you were talking about your home it reminded me that I have none. It was like you didn't regard me as a friend – just someone whose there just to do their job." She said, another tear trailing down her face.

She started as she felt a warm finger wipe the tear away from her face. She hadn't even noticed that her arms were now free. Sora had an adorable blush on his face while hers held one of shock.

"Don't say that. You're my friend too. I just didn't think 'cause you always take care of yourself. Riku and Kairi can't fight like we can…and they don't have the bond that we have, too." He said. She looked at him and her eyes lightened to their normal amber color.

"Friends?" he asked, a cheesy grin on his face. Freya nodded and laughed.

"Friends." She said, kissing him on the cheek. She laughed as she flexed her wings, lifting herself off of the flushing boy. He took her hand and pulled himself up, accidentally flashing the Keyblade to Donald and Goofy.

"The Key!" the both of them said. They were going to approach Sora, but then, suddenly, the Heartless Soldiers appeared. Freya flared her wings and spun her staff, standing protectively in front of Sora. They exchanged glances and smiles before going to attack their enemies. For some reason it was quite easy to defeat all of the soldiers.

Freya turned to talk to Sora, but a giant suit of armor fell from the sky behind her. She screamed as its gauntlet smacked her square in the back, sending her towards the Knight. Fortunately, he caught her and prevented her from being injured even further. It was mainly purple, but the edges of the armor were lined in black. There was a strange symbol on the center of the armor's chest. It was black heart-like symbol with a red outline. A crisscross of red lines was in the section that resembled a heart.

"That must be the boss!" Freya exclaimed as she took to the air after thanking Goofy.

The giant suit of armor was a tough opponent. Sora and Goofy attacked the feet of the armor while Donald and Freya attacked the hands of the armor.

"Feather Dance!" she exclaimed, taking to the air and flapping her wings very harshly. Several feathers came loose and started to glow, heading straight towards the armor. Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped back as the feathers started to swirl around the armor. Suddenly, they sharpened and slashed at the arms and feet of the armor. They disappeared in a burst of energy and she floated towards the ground again.

"Focus on the body!" Sora exclaimed, brandishing his Keyblade at the body of the armor. The four of them focused on the body of the armor. They were flipping, dodging, slashing, stabbing, casting spells, and during the whole fight Freya was healing everyone with her Complete Healing spell. Unlike before, she wisely used only a percentage of her energy.

Soon enough, Sora dealt the finishing blow and the four of them watched as a giant heart emerged from the body of the disappearing boss. A glowing orb appeared in his outstretched hand and it flashed, revealing an accessory called Brave Warrior. He equipped it after asking the others if they wanted it, letting Freya watch it dissolve into his skin with interest and he laughed, snaking his arm around Freya's waist. He turned to Donald and Goofy.

"So, you were looking for us?" he asked, nodding his head to Freya.

"Uh huh." Both the magic user and the Knight confirmed.

"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." The chocolate haired male said, appearing behind them all.

"Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel." He asked Sora. Freya looked at him – would he really leave her behind? She would fade away if he said he didn't need her anymore.

"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi..." he said with an unhappy glance. Freya frowned at him, but hesitated from pulling away from him.

"At least you have me." she said, sadly looking at him. He looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I have you." He said, tightening his hold around her waist. The two of them looked at Donald and Sora's face fell into a sad frown once again.

"Of course." Donald said with a nod.

"Are you sure?" Goofy whispered to the magic user.

"Who knows? But we need him to come with us to help us find the King." Donald whispered back.

"Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends. Freya, go with Sora. Protect him and keep him happy, alright?" he asked and the winged girl nodded her head.

"Yeah, I guess." Sora responded to Leon's statement.

"But you can't come along looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad face. Okay?" Donald said, coming to stand in front of the two teenagers.

"Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!" Goofy exclaimed, coming over to the small group. Donald pushes Goofy's face away from the teenagers and Freya laughed.

"That's it! This boat runs on happy faces." Donald explained the power of the ship, but Sora was still a little sad.

"Happy?" he questioned, looking over the smiling face of Freya. She clasped his hand and gave him an encouraging look. He sighed, lowering his head before he raised it with a goofy grin. He felt better knowing that he had some new friends to help him look for his old friends. Freya, Donald, and Goofy shared a heartfelt laugh at his expression.

"That's one funny face!" Donald exclaimed, still laughing.

"Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys." Sora said. Freya elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a small glare. "Uh, I mean **we'll** go with you guys." He said giving Freya an innocent smile.

"Donald Duck." He introduced himself.

"Name's Goofy." Goofy said, sticking out his hand.

"I'm Sora." He said with another smile.

"And you can call me Freya." The Guardian Angel said. Sora placed his hands on top of Donald's and Goofy's hands while Freya lightly placed hers on top of Sora's.

"All for one, one for all." They said, but then Donald realized something.

"Uh, we may have a small problem." He said. A few seconds later they were aboard the ship Donald and Goofy used to get there. There were only three rooms with beds and showers and three seats in the cockpit. There was one room that had the biggest bed so it was decided that Freya and Sora would share it, much to their embarrassment, and there was a kitchen and observation deck below the cockpit.

Donald was currently at the controls and Goofy was at the weapons control center. The third seat was open for the last two people. Sora ended up sitting on the seat with Freya in his lap, her wings tightly tucked against her back so they wouldn't stick in his face.

"Onto the next world!" Sora exclaimed, pumping his fist.

And the four companions were off on the start of their journey.


	6. Darkness Rises

**Okay, so I know that the trinities are there for all three of them to use, but I thought that it would go better for a certain thing in the next chapter XD. Anyway...this is sort of like a filler chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Square Enix and Disney own all of the Kingdom hearts characters. I only own Freya, her magic, her moves...and maybe another OC that I haven't figured out yet...maybe.**

**Thanks to:**

**mysteriousguy898 - Ok, thanks! I wrote that down, 'cause I'm actually going to use some of her techniques when she's fighting the heartless bosses and stuff. =D**

**Mic Mov - Hehe I'm glad you like the chemistry between the two. I've got more magic in store for her, too, level 2 magic and such. I'm probably going to give those to her when Sora goes back to Traverse Town again. And then Level 3 when they go to Hollow Bastion or something. I dunno...it'll all work out, though.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Darkness Rises**

* * *

As time passed the four of them amused themselves by playing a form of questions. They found out that Sora's name meant 'Sky' in another language and that Freya's favorite color was silver. They found out about Donald's girlfriend, Daisy, and Goofy's son, Max. He was training to be a Knight as well so it was alright for Goofy to leave Disney Castle. He didn't want to talk about Max's mother so Sora and Freya let it drop.

The four of them were on their way to the next world and they were having a grand time, but, as they were travelling, a group of dark and mysterious people were having a dark discussion.

A tall blue skinned male wearing a long black robe was growling in disgust. He had a blue flame for hair, pointed teeth, and bright yellow eyes.

"That little squirt took down that Heartless!" the blue robed male exclaimed, "Who'd have thought it?"

Another dark figure, this time dressed in a long black robe with a red sash around his waist. He wore a long cloak – red on the inside and black on the outside – with curled red shoes. He wore a uniquely shaped black, red and yellow hat and carried a staff with a cobra head on the top.

"Such is the power of the Keyblade." The one with the staff interjected, "The child's strength is not his own. He has that girl to look after him as well."

A large woman that was half octopus half human let out a loud laugh. She had purple tinted skin, bright red lips, way too much makeup on her eyes, white hair, and conch shell earrings and a conch shell necklace.

"Why don't we turn them into Heartlesses?" she let out a loud laugh again, "That'll settle things quickly enough."

Yet another being shrouded in darkness growled. He slammed his hook – which replaced his hand – into the table. He wore a long red frock coat, purple pants, white knee high socks, black high buckled boots, and a white ascot. His hair was long and curled and there was a thin, wiry moustache on his face. There was a large red hat on his head with a giant white-purple plume.

"But the girl is part of the keyblade…and the brat's friends are the King's lackeys." He mused, "Swoggle me eyes, they're all bilge rats by the look of them." he continued in disgust.

Yet another large shadow, a giant potato sack with hands, feet, and a head with a face laughed at him.

"You're no prize yourself." He reminded the one that looked like a pirate before laughing once again

"Shut up!" the one in the frock coat exclaimed, getting ready to hit the potato sack.

Suddenly, the final shadowy figure stepped forward. This time it was a woman shrouded in a dark purple and black robe. She had green tinged skin and wore a high black headdress. Two horns stuck up from her headdress and she carried a long staff. There was a giant green gem on top of her staff.

"Enough." She calmly stated, "The Keyblade has chosen him. The appearance of the girl proves it. Will it be he who conquers the darkness with her help? Or will the darkness swallow him when she falls? Either way, the boy could be quite useful..." she trailed off.

As their laughter rang through the darkness the four companions were still finding a new world to travel to. Their Gummi Ship had picked up the signal of a world, but it would still be some time before they arrived there. It was called 'Wonderland'.

Sora was still up in the cockpit, still wide awake as he sat in his assigned chair. Goofy was allowed to go to sleep and Freya was down in the observation deck. She was eagerly looking at the different stars in space, amazed that each and every one of them was a different world. She smiled, sitting ladylike on one of the small couches with her legs tucked underneath the skirt of her dress. She propped her head up on her hand and gave a happy sigh – Freya was happy that she finally found her bearer. For as long as she could remember, hear heart and spirit had been longing for the one who would own her keyblade.

Eventually, her excitement wore away and the warm atmosphere in the observation deck mixed with the dull hum of the ship's engines gently lulled the winged girl to sleep. By this time Sora had become tired as well. He stopped spinning in his chair and was about to go to his shared room with Freya when he noticed that the light was on in the observation deck. Going down the spiral staircase, a warm feeling spread through the brunette boy's chest as he saw his Guardian Angel sleeping on the couch. Her head was resting on the couch's arm and a sweet smile was across her face.

Sora could help but find himself walking towards her, brushing her chin length bangs away from her face. He wondered how to get her to bed since she was already asleep, but only one thing came to mind.

Slipping one arm behind her shoulders, being extremely careful of her wings, and one arm under her knees – despite the many ruffled layers of skirts she was wearing – he lifted her up bridal style. Ever so carefully the brunette boy ascended the stairs and made his way to his shared room with Freya. She nuzzled into his chest as her smile grew just a bit, making the warm feeling spread within Sora's chest.

When he got to their room, he gently set her down on the bed before pulling her ribbons off of her arms and neck. He removed the crown clip from her braid, smiling when her hair fell in gentle waves from her braid, and removed her shoes. After he did so, he gently pulled back the covers and situated her into bed. He would just tell her that he didn't want to change her into something else.

Minutes later – after Sora examined the closet that was conveniently filled with several pairs of the exact same outfit for the both of them and several pairs of pajamas – he changed into a pair of pajama pants and a tee shirt. He removed his necklace and got into bed, thankful that it was bigger than it seemed.

The brunette closed his eyes and easily fell into slumber, dreaming about the events that previously happened that day…

_The chocolate haired man, Leon, stood in front of the four companions with an unredable expression on his face. It was like he didn't want to show the two teenagers that he was worried about them._

"_Make sure you're prepared for the journey ahead of you." He warned them, turning to the side. His eyes raked over Freya's lithe frame, approving of the protective gleam in her amber colored eyes._

"_We don't know how far the heartless have spread." He continued, warning them that their adventure was going to be a difficult one. The easily excitable ninja bounced up and down on the soles of her feet._

"_Check out the shops here," she said happily, "They've got some pretty neat stuff!" she exclaimed, winking at the winged girl. Freya blushed lightly when she remembered the look Sora gave her when he had gotten the crown shaped clip for her. She'd treasure it for always and forever._

"_This is from all of us." The woman in the pink dress said, giving Sora a hundred munny. Sora stared at her, about to open his mouth to protest, but one look from her and he closed his mouth. He pocketed the munny, intent on using it to buy potions._

"_Spend it as you see fit." She quietly and kindly said, "And this is from Leon." She grinned, winking at the chocolate haired warrior. She handed Sora an Elixir and he and Freya just gaped at it. How did he come by something as expensive as an Elixir? And he wanted to give it to Sora?_

"_Good luck!" Yuffie exclaimed, still as excited as always._

"_Look out for each other. Keep your spirits up." He calmly said to them, a hint of a smile forming on his lips. The four companions nodded and decided to stick around for a little bit._

"_The Gummi Ship is outside that gate." Donald said to both Sora and Freya. The later had been wondering how they would travel between worlds._

"_The what?" the brunette boy asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion and curiosity._

"_That's our ship." Donald replied with a knowing look. He just knew that Sora was going to be trouble when it came to the controls of the ship._

"_Wait 'til you see it!" Goofy interjected with a grin on his face. The four of them were about to go to the ship when Donald remembered something._

"_Hold on. Sora, this is for you." He handed the brunette a small red orb. He took the orb from Donald and started to sweat as the red orb was absorbed into his skin. He had obtained the power of fire._

"_Now you can use magic, too." He said, ignoring Freya for the time being, "Goofy, give him that other thing." he said, tapping his foot due to his impatience. _

"_What?" Goofy asked, cocking his head in confusion._

"_You know!" Donald exclaimed, becoming agitated with the Knight's behavior._

"_Oh, yeah." He tapped Sora on the head and showed him how to do an ability. Said ability was called Dodge Roll._

"_Abilities allow you to do all sorts of things." Goofy said with a chuckle, "Guess we should look for 'em along the way, huh?" he questioned. Sora looked to Freya, realizing that she didn't get anything from either of them._

"_Don't worry about me, Sora." She said as if she was reading his mind, "I have the power of the Keyblade inside of me. I have my own special type of magic and abilities to use. You've seen my Ice Shards spell and felt my Anima Shield spell at work, remember?" she explained. _

"_Yeah…" he trailed off, still looking uncomfortable that Freya didn't get anything. They started to walk away, but then the winged girl stiffened when she saw a small blue heart shape on the ground._

"_A trinity." She murmured going over to the heart._

"_A what?" the brunette boy questioned, leaning over her shoulder. She looked up and smiled softly at the boy over her shoulder._

"_A trinity is something that attracts Guardian Angels. With our power we get items to help us in our quest to protect the Key Bearers." She calmly explained, pointing to the blue one below her._

"_What kinds of items?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. She giggled and used her power to activate it, teleporting to the second story of the diner. She opened the chest and revealed a postcard, throwing it down to Sora._

"_Things like that. Go mail it and get a prize." She said with a smile. Sora went to go mail the postcard and Jiminy jumped up on Freya's shoulder. _

"_Well, Miss Freya, I see big adventures coming your way! Looks like it's up to me to keep track of it all in my journal!" he exclaimed, puffing out his chest. The winged girl just giggled, taking in it all…_

Sora smiled in his sleep, unconsciously sliding closer to Freya's warmth. She snuggled into his body and nuzzled her head into his shirt. In his sleep the brunette's arms wrapped around her waist, one hand was holding her to him and the other was lazily buried in the warm feathers of her wings.

It seemed that even in his sleep his heart yearned for his Guardian Angel…now if only he could realize it when he was awake.


	7. Wonderland

**Alrighty! Tomorrow is my Archaeology exam so I wanted to get this out before then. Wish me luck, dear readers of mine!**

**Thanks to: **

**mysteriousguy898 - Honestly, I forgot about the heartless ships lol...Anyway, I have green, blue, and white trinities here. I'm kind of disregarding the rules for when each trinity appeares since Freya is the one activating them.**

**Mic Mov - Hope you like her new outfit! She'll keep it until Sora gets the Jungle Key. It goes with Keyblades and not worlds so she'll have two in some chapters - like when he gets the one from Cloud and the one from Leon or something (I have to research when he gets them) but I've got the ideas all planned out.**

**Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys don't mind me jumping in with all the musy stuff. I kinda like the dramatic flare it adds to the otherwise 'innocent' Sora.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Wonderland**

* * *

One could never tell what time it was when he or she was stuck drifting in space. Freya knew that her body had experienced enough sleep when she blearily opened her eyes and she came face to face with a white tee shirt. Instead of screaming and instantly shoving the brunette's body away from her own, she simply smiled. She snuggled her face back into his chest once again as she gave a sigh of content. Freya was warm and content so perhaps that was the reason that the Guardian Angel was so calm.

The red headed girl sighed softly, wings flaring slightly in her comforted state. She closed her amber eyes when she felt soft fingers running through the feathers on her wings. The fingers were gentle and moved to her hair, running through the soft and silky tresses. Her amber eyes opened again and she started when she realized that the brunette's arm was around her waist. It was nice feeling the weight of his arm – it made her feel protected even though their roles were supposed to be reversed in reality. But what female didn't like to feel protected even in their sleep?

His eyes were still closed and that was the only indication that Sora was still sleeping. Or, he was from what Freya could tell by his body language. It was weird feeling him stroking her hair in his sleep. Perhaps he was dreaming about petting an animal?

Suddenly, the Gummi Ship rocked dangerously and the two of them tumbled from the bed. Sora was jerked awake just in time to catch the winged girl that tumbled out of the bed on top of him. The two of them landed in a very suggestive position – the brunette boy was sprawled on the floor on his back while Freya was kneeling over him with a knee on either side of his body. Her hands were next to his head and their chests were ever so close to one another…as were their lips. Freya's wings were twitching from her shock and embarrassment and her face.

The ship rocked again and the two of them went tumbling the other way. Fortunately for her and her fragile wings, Sora was able to keep her upright by grabbing her around the waist.

"GOOFY! Get up here and man the weapon system!" Donald exclaimed from the cockpit. When Sora asked the duck earlier if he was going to sleep, he nodded his head and said that he was going to put the ship on autopilot. As the Knight bounded past their room he told them to get dressed. He would take care of the Heartless Ships.

It took them a total of forty minutes – ten minutes for Sora and twenty for Freya, plus ten minutes of Sora helping Freya lacing up the corset on her dress and braiding her hair for her, to get ready. She replaced her ribbons and he got his jacket and necklace and they were ready to go.

"Are you ready for the first world?" Freya asked the brunette boy in a curious tone. Her amber eyes sparkled in the light sending a very faint blush across Sora's cheeks.

"Yeah! I'm so excited to be going to another world," he said, grinning at her, "And we need to look for Riku and Kairi. Then, when we find them, our adventure will…end." He continued, not noticing her eyes darkening again. He did it again. He was thinking of finding his old friends and not paying attention to what was in front of him. That was it. The winged girl decided then and there that she would act as his Guardian Angel and nothing more.

"Well, then…let's go." She replied in an emotionless voice. His eyes widened when he realized what he did but before he could apologize Freya walked out and went to the cockpit. Like he promised, Goofy had taken care of all of the Heartless ships. Wonderland stood in front of them in all its glory. With a push of a button the four of them were teleported to the surface of Wonderland.

Goofy fell asleep as they were floating down this time retarded tunnel. He stretched out as Donald and Sora carefully floated down in a standing position. Freya, however, was normal. She used her wings to angle her descent, making it faster than the others. She didn't want anyone to look up her skirt.

Freya landed first and sank to her knees as she waited for the others. A strange urge filled her again and she looked behind her, seeing a green trinity. Ignoring the others as they landed behind her, or fell in Goofy's case, she summoned her staff and slammed the dulled end into the center of the green trinity. A box fell from a painting to land in front of her. She let Sora open it and out popped an Elixir.

"Whoa, I'm pretty glad you have the ability to activate trinities, Freya." Sora said, trying to appease her hurt feelings from before.

"Well, I'm here to serve." She said in a quiet voice. She kept her staff in front of her as a white rabbit holding a large clock came barreling by.

"Oh, my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" the rabbit exclaimed in dismay, " Oh, dear, oh dear, oh dear!" he continued waling in his self pity. Freya looked at the rabbit with a strange expression on her face – he must have been a stickler for being on time.

"I'm here, I should be there. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" he continued, waving his arms around, "The Queen, she'll have my head for sure!" the winged girl was concerned for the safety of the rabbit so Sora and the others followed her as she flew after the talking animal. They arrived in the next room and saw that the rabbit had shrunken in size. It disappeared through a door that promptly closed afterwards. The doorknob was particularly large…and it had a face.

Sora bent down to peer at the doorknob while Freya went about studying the room. She felt another one of those strange tugs, but she couldn't find a trinity mark anywhere. It was frustrating.

"How did he get so small?" the brunette boy questioned, cocking his head to the side. It was then that the doorknob, which was supposed to be an inanimate object, started to talk.

"No, you're simply too big." It said, shocking the group. Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped, shocked, while Freya brought her staff up in a defensive position.

"It talks!" Donald exclaimed in shock. All four of them leaned in again to see what the doorknob would do, but he simply tried to go back to sleep. However, with Sora and his friends there, it was simply impossible.

"Must you be so loud?" the doorknob asked in an annoyed manner, "You woke me up." He complained. Freya giggled softly, sending a pang of regret through Sora's chest. He felt horrible about forgetting her – she was his friend just as much as the others were.

"Good morning." Goofy said as he waved, drawing another light giggle from Freya's lips. The brunette clinched his hand, wanting to be the one to draw that sound from her. He turned away, focusing on the doorknob in front of them.

"Good night! I need a bit more sleep." The unusual object dismissed them as he yawned. The brunette suddenly had an idea.

"Wait, what do we have to do to grow small?" he questioned. If they could get small, then they would be able to find the rabbit. The doorknob sighed and yawned once again.

"Why don't you try the bottle...over there?" he yawned, finally getting back to sleep. The group turned around, Freya jumping back with a squeak when the tale popped up from the ground. As she jumped back she stumbled, but Sora was quick to steady her.

"Whoa, careful." He said with a smile, hoping to see one from her as well. He was horrified to see her just nod with a carefully schooled expression.

"Of course, Master." She replied in a quiet voice. His heart hammered in his chest. What was she thinking? Why did she call him that? Freya was about to turn to the table and the bottle situated upon it, but Sora's hand on her arm caused her to hesitate.

"Why'd you call me 'Master'?" he said in an almost angry voice. They were friends, weren't they?

"Because you are. You are the Keyblade Master and I am essentially the Keyblade's spirit in a physical form. Therefore you are my Master." She said in a stoic voice.

"No I'm not!" he exclaimed angrily. He didn't know why but he was angry that she saw him as her Master. It was horrible.

"You're not what, Master?" she questioned in a quiet voice. Donald and Goofy had gone silent, intently watching the two of them argue. They knew better than to get in their way.

"Stop calling me your Master!" he exclaimed, "You're my friend!" he shouted, gripping both of her shoulders. She stared at him with her darkened amber eyes.

"Am I?" she questioned, "It is my duty to protect you. Nothing more." She said in a loud voice. He flinched, but he knew deep inside that they were friends. She was the one he wanted to share a Paopu with.

"Even if I wanted to be friends…and I do," she sighed much Sora's relief, "At the end of this journey you'll have Riku and Kairi again. My fate is uncertain." She revealed, looking into Sora's bright blue orbs.

"We'll cross that road when we come to it. Besides, friends don't get each other things like these, do they?" he said, reaching down to the end of Freya's braid and showing her the crown shaped clip. A smile spread across her face as a small flush was formed.

"No, I don't suppose so." She admitted and to the brunette's excitement her eyes lightened to their familiar amber coloring. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, letting him be the one to test out the contents of the bottle. Before he drank, however, the winged girl leaned up against the bed. She was going to enjoy this, but the bed simply disappeared into the wall. She squeaked again in an alarmed expression, but, fortunately, Sora grasped her hand at the last moment.

"Thanks, Sora." She said with a small smile. Sora nodded and gave her a smile, pointing at the opening she had inadvertently created behind her. She laughed and told him to drink his potion. He did so and an odd feeling brewed in the middle of their stomachs before all four of them began to shrink.

The four of them stood there with odd expressions on their face before the heartless began to attack. Sora hacked away with them with his Keyblade and Freya used her magic to decimate them. Goofy and Donald helped where they could and eventually they were cleared.

"Ice Shards!" Freya exclaimed, sending icy shards raining down through the remaining heartless creatures. So far there had only been a few weaklings. Suddenly, Freya was pulled towards the trinity that she had sensed earlier. Sora jogged after her as she quickly walked inside the now giant fireplace. She twirled her staff and jabbed the blunt end onto the middle of the green trinity and a box fell from the top of the fireplace. Sora opened the box and he was rewarded with a mythril shard, a shard of a pretty crystal.

"Oh, a mythril shard!" Freya exclaimed with a smile on her face. Sora smiled and handed it to her and she put it in a small pocket in her corset. It was almost unnoticeable, but it was quite handy.

"Mythril shards are used for synthesis. I'll explain that to you later." She said, "Alright, let's go!" she exclaimed, using her staff to point to the opening.

The four of them went through the opening and appeared in some sort of garden. Freya's wings flared in unease as she looked at the playing card people that held weapons. At a podium in front of them a girl with long blonde hair stood with her back to them. She wore a cute blue dress, a white apron, white pantyhose, and black Mary Jane shoes. Directly in front of the blonde haired girl was a much larger podium with a large woman sitting at it. She wore a black and red dress and a crown was situated on her head.

The white rabbit they had been chasing climbed the stairs on the last podium to her side, blowing a trumpet with the rest of his breath.

"Court is now in session!" he called, shocking the girl who was on trial.

"I'm on trial?" she exclaimed in shock, "But why?" she wondered, looking around.

"Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding!" the rabbit exclaimed. Freya's wings started to bristle. She didn't like it when royalty used their power unjustly.

"The girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about it." Freya's feathers continued to bristle until they were literally standing on end. Her eyes started to glow with her anger.

"And the reason is...because I say so, that's why!" the girl lunged forward as if to attack the Queen, but Sora's arms were around her waist and his hand on her mouth before she could do anything else.

"That is so unfair!" the girl exclaimed, angrily. The Queen of Hearts only leaned forward and smirked.

"Well, have you anything to say in your defense?" she scoffed, glaring down at the young innocent girl. Freya was struggling in Sora's grip, wanting to defend the girl, but he was putting pressure on her wings. Eventually the pain became too much and she let out a whimper. Sora's expression became one of shock as he realized he had hurt her. He instantly loosened his grip on her, but his arms were still wrapped around her waist.

"Of course!" the girl exclaimed, turning so that the four companions could see that she was wearing a black ribbon in her hair, "I've done absolutely nothing wrong! You may be Queen, but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so...so mean!"

Freya wanted to laugh, but she found that she couldn't. Sora's hand was still over her mouth.

"Silence! You dare defy me?" the Queen of Hearts shrieked, pounding her fists on the wood of her podium. The four companions watched the trial with heavy hearts until the brunette finally decided that the winged girl was right in wanting to interfere. It wasn't right for the Queen to act this way. He released the girl in his arms, but kept an arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"Hey, guys," he started, gaining their attention, "We should help her out." He said.

"Definitely. You guys just now realized this?" Freya questioned, raising a delicately shaped eyebrow. Sora only chuckled and turned to Goofy and Donald.

"Yeah, but the…" Donald was cut off by Goofy.

"We're outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?" he questioned, getting the term wrong.

"Meddling!" the magic using duck corrected.

"Oh, yeah. And that's against the rules." The Knight reminded both Sora and Freya. The Guardian Angel was going to say something, but was interrupted by the Queen of Hearts.

"The court finds the defendant...guilty as charged! For the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart..." she trailed off for dramatic effect, "Off with her head!" she shouted. Freya gasped, eyes wide and feathers bristling. She flew forward, breaking Sora's grip on the winged girl, and descended in front of the girl. She twirled her staff defensively as the blonde girl begged the Queen to let her live.

"No! No! Oh, please!" she squealed as the cards rushed for the Guardian Angel. She was in their way of obtaining the blonde girl so they might as well chop off her head as well. This made Sora furious. There was no way she was going to get hurt on his watch. He rushed forward, ignoring the cries of both Donald and Goofy. They had no choice but to follow him into this mess.

"Hold it right there!" he exclaimed, coming to a stop next to Freya. She gave him a grateful smile – it was one that told him that he had been completely forgiven. He didn't know it, but it was small things like these that caused her to care for him as a friend – maybe something more – instead of just her Master. Truly, in the short amount of time she had been with him…she had found herself longing to be his friend instead of just his servant and Guardian Angel.

"Who are you? How dare you interfere with my court?" the harsh Queen demanded, pointing her little stick with a heart on the end at Sora, Freya, and their two friends.

"Excuse me. But we know who the real culprit is!" the brunette boy exclaimed.

"Uh-huh. It's the Heartle…" Goofy covered his mouth before he could finish his sentence. It was best not to let them know about the dangerous heartless.

"Nice going." Freya said with a deadpanned face. If this were an anime she would have sweatdropped.

"Anyway, she's not the one you're looking for." Sora said, jerking his head back to the blonde haired girl. The Queen just scoffed again, making Freya's feathers bristle. She growled and jerked her staff in front of her, little electric currents dancing down the metal and up her arm. Of course, it didn't hurt her.

"That's nonsense. Have you any proof?" the Queen questioned, ignoring the Guardian Angel with the staff. Before the four companions could say anything the card-people took the blonde girl and locked her in a cage. Freya was furious, but Sora only grabbed her free hand and shook his head. Her amber eyes became sad and glossy, making him feel like his heart was constricting within his chest, but he only tugged her closer to him.

"Bring me evidence of Alice's innocence!" Freya's lips twitched upward into a small smile. At least she could stop referring to Alice as 'the blonde haired girl'.

"Fail and it's off with all of your heads! Gather as much or little evidence as you please. Report back here once you're ready." The Queen said, promptly dismissing them. Freya ripped her hand from Sora's grasp and immediately headed for the exit.

"Hey! Wait, Freya! It could be dangerous!" she heard Sora exclaim, but she didn't care. She couldn't be in the presence of that woman any longer. With one last glance towards the cage that held Alice, the Guardian Angel headed through the exit into the area called Lotus Forest.

She stopped and sank to her knees, grasping her staff in front of her like a life support. Suddenly, her anger disappeared, leaving her extremely weary. It was like it was never there in the first place. She heard hear name being called and looked over her shoulder, seeing Sora.

"Hey, are you okay?" he questioned her, kneeling down in front of her. His eyes held nothing but concern for her wellbeing. It made a warm feeling spread inside her chest. Freya gave him a small smile and nodded.

"I'm fine…I just don't like anyone who abuse their power. I usually don't anger this easily, but when I do…it just drains me." she said, jumping when a striped purple cat appeared on the boulder next to them. Sora pulled her up and she leaned against her staff.

"Who are you?" Donald asked it, wary of the strange looking cat.

Who, indeed?" the striped purple cat replied, "Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!" he said with a strange laugh. This caught both Sora and Freya's attention.

"Hey, if you know who the culprit is, tell us!" the brunette demanded, angry that the cat was playing games with them.

"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers—but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness." He said, making Freya gasp. Her enemy was the darkness – it was the one thing she was afraid of. She was terrified of being consumed by the darkness, but even more…if she was consumed by the darkness her greatest fear would come into play. She would fail Sora.

"Wait!" the brunette boy exclaimed, not yet finished with the cat. It was in vain, however, as the Cheshire Cat disappeared despite Sora's demand.

"They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky. Big reward if you find them all." He cackled as his voice echoed away.

"Should we trust him?" Donald questioned, tapping his foot. He was always the impatient one. Suddenly, the Cheshire Cat's voice echoed throughout the clearing.

"To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!" he cackled, leaving the four companions to find the pieces of evidence.

The four of them stood in silence as the last of the echoes faded away. It was slightly awkward, but Freya took the chance to tell them about the trinities she felt.

"There are three more trinities in this world…" she said, closing her eyes and trying to pinpoint where they were.

"Really? Cool!" Sora grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulder. He grinned at her while she just rolled her eyes and shoved him off with a laugh.

"This way!" she called. They took out the heartless as they followed her, standing in the second alcove as she bent down to activate the blue trinity with a wave of her hand. The blue mark glowed brightly for a split second before bursting into a slew of clear bubble-like objects that revitalized their magical energy. A potion, an ether, and a tent landed neatly in Sora's hands as Freya grinned, feeling much better now that her magical energy had been restored.

"Okay…the next one might be a little tricky to get to so I'll go alone, alright?" she queried, cocking her head to the side. Sora immediately didn't like the idea, but knew that it wasn't wise to argue with her. Before she went, however, she quietly casted the Anima Shield spell on him so that any damage that he sustained was directed to her.

She flew up and over the tall flowers that were blocking his view of her and landed neatly in the alcove across from where he was. She activated the blue trinity with a wave of her hand and more clear bubble-like objects sprang forth with a camping tent. She flew back towards him with the camping tent and they decided to split up once again to find the evidence. Sora knew that she could take care of herself and didn't like the fact that she felt like she had to cast that spell on him, but he would rather her to be happy then to be disappointed in herself.

Sora paired himself with Donald and Goofy – well, it was more like Freya insisted that they go with him – and the hunt for the evidence was on. She followed the pull of the trinity, feeling like she would find at least some sort of evidence if she followed it. Up through the opening behind the tree with the giant fruit, and after inspecting the painting with the strange energy, she found herself in the forest once again. A white trinity, the rarest kind, was in front of her.

"A white trinity…" she whispered as she kneeled down in front of it. With a deep breath, she clasped her hands in front of her chest, her staff pointing towards the sky. She closed her eyes and concentrated as the trinity disappeared, leaving behind a keychain for the Keyblade. Her heart pounded as she weakly stood up – white trinities sucked quite a bit of energy from her. Freya picked up the keychain and went back to where the trial was being held.

"Sora!" she exclaimed, holding the keychain up to him, "Look what I found!" she exclaimed, eyes dancing happily.

"What is it?" he questioned, looking at the keychain with interest.

"It's a keychain for the Keyblade. It makes it even more powerful than it already is." She said with a smile. Unfortunately, the smile quickly turned into a frown.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't find any evidence." She said in a sad voice. He only shrugged and clipped the keychain to the end of the Keyblade, replacing the Kingdom Key. As soon as it was replaced, however, Freya's clothing began to glow. The Keyblade changed shape, resembling something that one would find in a casino and the winged girl let out a surprised squeak as her clothing changed.

When the light cleared her attire had changed dramatically. No longer was she wearing her old dress and her face was one of both shock and surprise.

"What the?" she sputtered in surprise. She was now wearing a knee length black and red checkered dress. The actual skirt of the dress was about an inch shorter than the frilled underskirts so that the white of her underskirts were showing. Her bodice clung to her chest and the back was low cut for her wings, but the straps crisscrossed and intertwined through them. There was a large black bow on her bust. A large black diamond, red club, black spade, and red heart were embroidered into the skirt. Red knee high boots with short heels were on her feet and they had black ribbons. Small cards decorated the laces. Black fingerless lacy gloves reached her elbows and it was then that she noticed that her hair had been tied up in two high pigtailed braids. A small black top hat was pinned to one side of her head and the crown clip that Sora had given her was centered on the bow on her chest. Her ribbons were still in place, although the ones on her arms were hard to see because of the gloves.

Freya summoned her staff once again and nearly cried when she saw that little cards had been etched into its otherwise pristine surface.

All in all it fit perfectly with both the world they were in and the new look of Sora's Keyblade.

"Oh, please don't tell me that this is going to happen every time we find a new keychain!" the winged girl whined despite Donald's obvious laughter. She growled, glaring at him and pointing her staff at him. Almost instantly a wave of ice hit him full force and he was frozen to the spot. Sora, however, had other ideas. A dark blush was forming on her face at the way he was looking at her.

"Does it look bad?" she questioned as he stared at her. It was this question that shocked him from his stupor.

"No!" he exclaimed, shocking her. "I…uh…I mean…you look really pretty." He said. A warm smile appeared on her face as she flared her wings. She came over and pecked him on the cheek.

"Hey, I just noticed I'm taller than you now." She giggled. He grinned, relishing the sound of her laughter. They then turned to the red card who asked them if they were ready. Sora nodded his head and the red card told him to approach the pdium.

"Now, show me what you have found." The Queen demanded of the brunette boy and his companions. He complied, bringing forth the evidence that he had worked so hard gathering.

"Well, that's certainly a lot of evidence, but I'm still not impressed. Cards! Bring forth my evidence!" she shouted. Freya winced. She seemed to be doing a lot of shouting. The cards brought forth the Queen's evidence, but somehow it got all mixed up. Freya's feathers started to bristle once again, but she held her ground.

"Hmm, checking all five would only be a waste of time." the Queen idly said, "Alright, then. Choose the one you wish to present. I'll decide who's guilty based on that evidence."

"That's not fair!" Freya shouted, not bothering to show her anger. Electricity crackled up and down her staff once again. Sora was no doubt angry as well.

"What?" he complained, "After all the trouble of collecting it?" he questioned angrily.

"You dare object? Then you will lose your head! Now, choose! One box!" she said and it was final. The brunette sighed and chose a box. The Queen asked him if he was sure and he confirmed, opening the box and jumping back as a heartless popped out. It wiggled around and finally disappeared.

"What in the world was that?" the Queen gasped.

"There's your evidence. Alice is innocent." The brunette boy insisted, getting fed up with this.

"Alice is innocent, you heard him!" Freya growled, "Let her go!"

"Silence!" the Queen growled right back, "I'm the law here! Article 29: Anyone who defies the Queen is guilty!" she exclaimed, pounding her fist on the wood of her podium.

"That's crazy!" Donald protested, but the Queen would have none of it.

"Seize them at once!" the Queen demanded as the cage holding Alice rose above the rest. The Cards went after the four companions, but Freya told Sora just to go after the crank tower. She was glad that the Anima Shield spell was still in effect.

"Cards! If they touch the tower, you lose your heads!" she exclaimed, pounding away at the wooden podium once again.

"Sora, don't worry about us! Just get Alice!" Freya exclaimed, trying to get used to fighting in heeled boots for once. She twirled her staff and felt a new power emerge – one full of electricity.

"Gigas Eternal!" she shouted holding her staff horizontally above her head. She flew up into the sky and completed a summersault, coming down and slamming the dull end of the staff on the ground. The sky darkened as large swords made of pure electric energy came raining down upon the cards. They screamed in pain as Donald and Goofy hurried to help their friend destroy the Crank Tower. It didn't take long to destroy it, but when it was destroyed, however, they found that when the cage was lowered Alice was gone.

"She must've gotten kidnapped while we were fighting." Donald quietly mused when they saw the empty cage.

"You fools! Find the one who's behind this! I don't care how!" the Queen demanded, banging her hands on the wooden podium once again. She seemed to be doing that a lot. Sora and Freya, along with Donald and Goofy, proceeded into the forest once again. They were determined to find anything that had to do with Alice's disappearance.

"Have you seen Alice?" Donald asked the purple striped cat.

"Alice, no. Shadow, yes!" the Cheshire Cat responded back with its silly grin.

"Where did they go?" Goofy asked him, scratching his head.

"This way? That way? Does it matter? Left, right, up, down! All mixed up thanks to the shadows!" his grin stretched even wider, "Step deeper into the forest to the deserted garden. You might find shadows in the upside-down room!"

"What is he talking about?" Freya mumbled to herself. Sora, who was standing beside her, just shrugged and innocently took her hand as the cat disappeared. Together they fought their way towards the other side of the forest. This time, the boulder that had been blocking the way was missing. The four of them entered the next area to see a table and tea waiting for them along with an assorted amount of chairs. The winged girl had a weird feeling about it and told her friends about it. All in all they decided not to sit, instead deciding to venture inside the house.

"Ohmigod…we're on the ceiling…" she gasped, feeling some sort of odd vertigo. She looked up and definitely felt strange when she saw the table that was supposed to be on the floor. Sora just laughed at her weird expression and she punched him on the shoulder, a small grin spreading across her face. Now she was definitely feeling like one of his friends.

"They're hiding somewhere." The Cheshire Cat teased, "Want to find the shadows? Try turning on the light." He left the group as Freya looked to the lights. She pointed it out to the brunette boy and he nodded his head. He was about to go over to the ledge, where he could possibly fall and break his neck, but Freya just giggled and grabbed his arms from behind. She took off, giving him little notice, and he wiggled in the air as she carried him to the first light.

"Don't _do_ that!" the brunette boy exclaimed, most likely still shocked by his experience, but Freya only laughed. He grinned at her and turned to the light, using his Keyblade to activate it. As it roared to life, the flower in the room above sprang to life. Then, the Cheshire Cat appeared once again.

"It's too dim. Make it brighter." He said, looking around with that same grin on his face.

"What next?" Donald questioned, impatiently tapping his foot.

"One more lamp that you need to light." The purple striped cat reminded them. Freya and Sora turned to the other light, but this time the brunette boy wanted to hop to it himself. He tried, almost slipping off the other side while Freya laughed at him, but he managed to light the second light on his own. When he succeeded he smirked at her, but it was quickly wiped away when the Cheshire Cat appeared again.

All the lights are on. You'll see the shadows soon. They'll arise in this room, but somewhere else. The shadows might go after that doorknob, too." He said, but the group had no idea what he was talking about. Suddenly, the winged girl was hit with an idea.

"The doorknob! They're going after the doorknob in the first room!" she exclaimed, gasping. She shook her head, really getting irritated with the little top hat, but no matter how hard she pulled on it, it was like it was welded to her head. The red headed girl sighed, not knowing that Sora thought she looked extremely cute. She was like his personal dress up doll. He mentally wondered if she would look this cute in all of her outfits.

Eventually, the group made it back to the first room they appeared in – the one with the doorknob. They looked around, but none of them found anything different than before…except for the flower that was now standing upright. Suddenly the Cheshire Cat appeared.

"You'll have a better view from higher up." Was all he said. This time, Freya gave the brunette boy a little warning when she grabbed his arms and flew him to the table. Unfortunately – or not so – Donald and Goofy were left to climb to the table themselves.

"The shadows should be here soon." The purple striped cat said, "Are you prepared for the worst? If not, too bad!" he exclaimed, fading away as a large heartless fell upon them. It was quite large and it was an alternating black and red. The alternating colors were outlined in yellow.

The giant heartless destroyed the table in one quick move, unfurling his arms to reveal giant torch-like objects. No matter how hard they tried to attack his feet, however, nothing would work. Sora had to resort to jumping up and hacking away at the heartless being's crotch while Freya attacked from above.

After the sixth time of being wacked away like a fly, the Guardian Angel became increasingly furious. Her eyes narrowed and her staff morphed into a long glaive. She flew as high as she could and flared her wings out, getting ready to kick some major ass.

"Flying Vision!" she exclaimed, swooping down at the enemy. With her glaive and now god-like enhanced speed, she sliced the heartless being several times on the body, head, and arms. Suddenly, she jerked to a stop and fell to the ground at the same time the enemy fell to its knees. Her energy was spent so it was now up to Sora to defeat it before it would stand again.

Time seemed to slow as the brunette delivered the finishing blow. He thrust the Keyblade into the heartless being's abdomen and it dissolved, heart floating up into the unknown. He looked around and saw Freya still on her knees. He rushed to her, absently remembering that her Anima Shield spell just wore off – which meant she acquired twice the amount of damage – and kneeled down in front of her.

"Freya, promise me you won't use Anima Shield again, okay?" he pleaded with her, not liking it when she was so injured. She looked up at him through her bangs as her glaive morphed back into her staff. She used it to rise to her feet before Sora slung one of her arms over his shoulders.

"But it's my job…" she was cut off by Sora.

"To protect me, I know. Friends protect each other, though, so we should share the injuries. How are you going to protect me if you're injured?" he questioned her, feeling a sense of déjà vu. She sighed, defeated for the time being, and denied the use of a Hi-Potion. Her defense was that he was going to need all of the healing items he could get for the future.

Suddenly, the Doorknob woke up from the racket their battle caused.

"What a racket. How's a doorknob to get any sleep?" he complained, yawning really wide. It was so wide that they could see some sort of keyhole in his mouth. Against his will, Sora's Keyblade emitted a beam of light that shot into the keyhole, making a sort of locking noise.

"What was that?" Donald asked, looking around.

"You hear that? Sounded like something closed." The brunette boy commented.

"I think you locked the world." The winged girl commented, remembering something from the Keyblade's past. She couldn't remember all of it, but locking the worlds seemed like it was really important.

A Gummi piece drops on the ground from the doorknob's mouth.

"This gummi ain't like the others. No, sir." Goofy said, picking it up. He handed it to Donald.

"Okay, I'll hold on to it." The magic using Duck said. Then the Cheshire Cat appeared once again, startling the group.

"Splendid. You're quite the heroes. If you're looking for Alice, she's not here. She's gone! Off with the shadows, into darkness." He said. A shiver ran down Freya's spine…she feared the darkness. The Cheshire Cat disappeared for the last time as the winged girl rubbed Sora's back. The four of them beamed back to their ship, deciding to get some sleep before they went off to the next new world. They would be safe while they activated the camouflage ability on the Gummy Ship.

An hour later, after both Sora and Freya showered and changed into their sleeping clothes, the two of them rested on their backs and started talking about nothing in particular.

"So, don't you have a home out there somewhere?" Sora asked her, turning so that he was lying on his side. Freya's previous smile faded away as her eyes took on a glassy appearance.

"I don't know. Perhaps." She said, as a tear inadvertently fell down her face. Sora reached up to wipe the tear away from her rounded cheek – it wasn't fat, but it wasn't gaunt like someone who had lost too much weight – and shocked himself while doing so. Why had he done that? Was it because he didn't like to see someone who was usually so strong crying?

"What do you mean?" he quietly asked, kind of dreading the answer.

"For as long as I remember…I've been tied to a place called Kingdom Hearts. It is a place filled with light…but also filled with darkness. We, the Guardian Angels, are not human. We exist solely to protect the ones who hold our Key and thus are sealed within them. Usually, we just lend the key holder our powers, but for some reason you set me free. I am here. I am physically able to protect you. I can feel and I have emotions." She said as more tears started to run down her face. It was weird. Freya was crying, but she was _happy_.

"I've been waiting for you for so long that I can't remember what my family is like. I can't remember where my home is, but all I know is that I don't care. I'm happy as long as I'm with you, Sora." She finished, eyes drooping.

"Well, when this is all over…you're free to live with me on Destiny Islands." He offered with a small smile. Freya smiled back, eyes soft.

"I'd like that." She said, eyes closing as she succumbed to slumber. Sora fell asleep soon after unaware that she truly did only exist as long as he needed her.

At the end of the journey…if he didn't admit to himself that he needed her…she would simply fade away to where all of the other Guardian Angels were…and it was unlikely that he would ever see again. Such was the power of words and such is the power of the bond that the two shared.

Strong as their bond was, it could also be easily broken.


	8. Dreaming of a Loved One

**Hey, guys! Here's a little filler chapter between worlds. =D Hope you like!**

**Thanks to:**

**Mysteriousguy - Hm...you tell me? What do you think? XD You'll have to wait until the end of this game to see whether or not Sora admits to needing Freya out loud. It's sort of like a beauty and the beast thing...but with a drawback. If he says that he doesn't need her out loud then she'll disappear.**

**Mic Mov - Yeah, she definately has a softer side. You'll see a lot of her past in the filler chapters - dreams sort of. That's how she regains her memories. **

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**Chapter 7**

**Dreaming of a Loved One**

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The next time Sora awoke, he was aware that his arms were firmly wrapped around someone's waist and his face was nuzzled into something rather soft. The teenager blearily opened his eyes to see that his face was buried into Freya's back – her large and fluffy wings to be precise. He looked down, a deep flush coating his face when he realized that his arms were wrapped around her petit waist.

Instead of freaking out – like he would have done if his arms were wrapped around Kairi or Selphie's wiast – he smiled and thought back to their conversation. The truth was…Sora needed Freya. Now that he knew that she existed he didn't know if his heart could take it if she simply disappeared at the end of their journey. He needed her…but he wasn't going to tell her that. He wasn't going to say it aloud. She could possibly withdraw back into herself if she knew that he needed her that much.

Sora knew what he had to do in order to keep Freya safe. He had to become stronger. He couldn't let his Guardian Angel keep casting that Anima Shield spell on him. he had to seal the worlds in order for them to be together. His feelings for her were strong, but he couldn't exactly put a name to them yet. The brunette boy sighed and buried his face into the plumage that Freya's wings provided, carefully making sure that he didn't wake the slumbering Angel.

Freya slept with a small smile on her face and one hand lightly placed over Sora's comforting appendage. It was resting lightly on her stomach, fingers intertwined with her own. The Guardian was dreaming of a different kind of happiness – a time in which she could remember someone that was once so very close to her.

_Freya sat on a grassy hill, wings flared behind her in content. The air was warm and there was a slight breeze ruffling her feathers as a small, content smile spread across her face. Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the warm breeze as it tousled her bangs against her face._

_The female Guardian Angel was wearing a simple dress of dark silver. There were no frills, no ribbons, no ruffles. Just a dark silver dress with spaghetti straps that was tight against her bust and hips, but flowed gently down to the middle of her shins. She wore no shoes and her red tresses flowed freely down her back._

_In her hands she held the crown shaped clip that a chocolate haired boy had given her. She studied the clip, a warm feeling in her chest. She closed her eyes, the clip fading away from her grasp as another item took shape. It was a keychain with a silver and black feather dangling from the end. Freya gave a content sigh as she opened her amber orbs, leaning back into a winged male's embrace. Said winged male was the one who gave her the keychain._

"_Hello, brother." She quietly said, leaning up to look at the male's equally amber orbs. He looked down at her, amber eyes sparkling in delight._

"_How have you been, dear-heart?" he asked, using his nickname for her. She giggled as his fingers reached her sides, wiggling against her skin. She shrieked as the tickling intensified, jerking forward from her brother's grasp. Turning around, she faced his grinning form. Her eyes raked over his form, trying to burn it into her memory. _

_Her brother had long dark hair, quite a contrast to her own, that was just as long as hers. His hair, however, was tied back in a tight braid. His amber eyes were mirror images of her own. He was wearing loose black pants and a dark red tunic. A black sash was wrapped around his waist and a purple and black feather necklace was wrapped around his wrist. He wore black stretchy slip on shoes. The wings protruding from his back were a lovely raven color. _

"_I'm fine, brother." She responded with a smile, inching away from his wiggling fingers. _

"_Are you excited for our birthday tomorrow, Freya? We turn fourteen tomorrow." He said, smile fading._

"_I am and then I'm not, brother." She said, not actually giving him a true answer. His piercing eyes stared her down as she gave him an answer._

"_I am excited to be one of the chosen Guardian Angels. Only the chosen are bound to Keyblades…but then I'm not looking forward to being in stasis until our Keyblade wielder is found." She said, voicing her worries…_

"_I understand." Her brother said, bringing an arm around her shoulders, "That's why I'm the older twin. I understand you better than you understand yourself." He said with a soft grin._

"_But what if we're separated on our journeys?" she asked, fear evident in her voice. They had never been separated before._

"_Just look at your keychain. We'll always be together in our hearts…and I have an early birthday present for you as well." He said, holding out a small box. She squealed in delight, tearing the box open and grinning as she took out a black ribbon._

"_I knew you wanted one and silk is hard to find in the village so I saved up for it." He said with a gentle smile._

"_Brother, you're the best!" she exclaimed, tackling her elder brother. He laughed as he gently tied the ribbon around her neck._

"_So are you, Freya. You'll makes some lucky man happy someday." He said, looking at her with a wistful smile on his face…_

Freya's dream faded away and small item formed in her hand. If one looked closely they would see that it was the same keychain from her dream. It flickered for a moment before disappearing once again and hooking itself around the twisting tip of her staff that was leaning up against the wall. The feather charm was dangling from the crystal, making a tiny tinkling sound as the Gummi Ship started to move. Donald and Goofy had gotten up, gotten dressed, and decided to leave without waking the other two. That way they would make good time to the next world. It was estimated to reach the next world in the next several days.

Freya stirred as the Gummi Ship started rocking and once again the two of them found themselves on the floor…in the same position as they were in the other day.

"Oh, geeze, Sora! I'm sorry!" Freya apologized before her eyes widened. She sat back and her eyes furrowed in thought as she got up without saying anything else to the concerned brunette boy.

"Do you want the bathroom first?" she questioned, oblivious to his questions. Her mind was in deep thought – was her dream real or was it just a figment of her imagination? She needed some time to think.

Freya only nodded when Sora said that she could have the bathroom first. He really wanted to know what was going on with her – why she was acting the way she was – but the words died in his mouth the moment she looked at him with a lost expression. He looked at her with concern, coming to stand behind her with his eyes set in determination, but she moved before he could lay a hand on her shoulder. His eyes scanned over her long sleeveless nightgown – it was a lot simpler than the dresses she had worn so far.

Not that he thought she looked bad in her dresses or anything…it was just that she was just as beautiful in something simple than in something fancy or frilly. She looked over her shoulder at him and gave him a soft smile before turning back to her closet. She opened the door, expecting her normal dress to be in there but, imagine her surprise, that she had a full supply of her Wonderland dress.

"WHAT?" she shrieked, ruffling through the clothing. There were the knee-high heeled boots and the lacey gloves in special cubbies and there was even a shelf full of miniature top hats for her to wear.

"Come on!" she moaned, glaring at the rack of dresses. She thought that this particular style was just tacky. A light laughter from behind her caught her attention and she whirled around.

"Are you laughing at me?" she whined, narrowing her eyes at the brunette boy. He only laughed harder at her misfortune, doubling over as she just huffed in irritation. She scowled and grabbed a dress, a pair of boots, quickly grabbing some underwear, and grabbing the required accessories.

Freya disappeared into the bathroom as he went to grab something to eat. The kitchen was to the left of the observation room so he never knew that she headed there when she was done with her shower twenty minutes later. At least she was able to do her hair and tie her dress alone this time.

While in the observation room, she observed her staff. She had noticed the change on it – the keychain – and she was fondly holding the black ribbon she usually wore around her neck as she tried to remember her twin brother. Her legs were curled up underneath her skirt and her wings were pressed against her back. She was curled in a corner of a couch away from the large viewing window. She didn't have to worry about the window breaking. Goofy had assured her that it was made of the strongest glass. A type of Gummy-glass hybrid.

This was how Sora found her after he had gotten ready for the day. He was concerned about the faraway expression that was on the red headed girl's face. The brunette boy gently sat down next to her and touched her arm, bringing her out of her stupor.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, a frown on his face. She looked over to him and nodded, biting her lip. There were so many conflicting emotions that were welling within her chest…it was hard to remember them all.

"I'm…okay." She quietly stated. Sora's frown grew deeper as her gaze went back to the ribbon she held in her hands.

"That's a pretty ribbon. Do you remember where you got it?" he questioned her. It looked like they were going to have another heart to heart conversation, not that he minded. He liked having these types of conversations. They were what made them closer friends.

"That's the thing, Sora. I _do_ remember. I don't remember much, but I remember where I got this ribbon." She looked up at him with the brightest smile she had ever worn on her face. There were tears in her eyes, but the brunette boy would have thought that they were tears of happiness.

"That's great! So does that mean you're getting your memories back?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"I think so! I've been in the Kingdom Key for so long that I've forgotten most of my past. But now that you've called me forth – that you need me – that I'm starting to remember!" she exclaimed, tears finally falling from her eyes. She laughed, clearly happy for the first time in a long, long time.

"And guess what, Sora! Guess!" she gushed, taking his hand in hers. He blushed brightly, but Freya was too lost in her happiness to pay much more attention to it.

"What?" he questioned, a grin forming on his face as well. Her happiness was contagious. It suited her much more than that state of shock she was in earlier.

"I have a twin brother!" she cried, shocking the boy. Well, it made sense. She wouldn't have been the only one of her kind, now would she be?

"What's his name?" he questioned, genuinely curious. It was then that her happiness turned to sadness. It was an abrupt change.

"I…I don't remember." She stammered, suddenly unhappy. Sora frowned. That was a sad thing – to have family but to not remember their name…

"But, I do have this." She said, bringing forth her staff. It was then that the brunette boy saw the keychain that tied her to her brother.

"I had a dream…no, it was more like a memory." She said and then retold her dream in detail. He had been happy to learn that she was fourteen, the same age that he was. The two of them talked for an incredibly long time and this time she asked him what his home life was.

The two of them talked well into the night – or what passed as the night in space - and they ended up falling asleep on the couch. Goofy came down the spiral staircase to see why the light was on at that time and he smiled when he saw Freya sleeping with her head on Sora's shoulder. The brunette boy's head was resting on hers and one of his arms was wrapped around her waist, holding her to him. It seemed like their closeness always drifted through in their sleep as well.

"G'night, guys." He whispered as quietly as he could while covering them up with a spare blanket he found in one of the closets. He then went to sleep as Donald set the Gummy Ship on autopilot.

Hopefully, their dreams would be filled with happiness as they travelled to the Olympus Coliseum.


	9. The Olympus Coliseum

**Okay, this is the last update for a week or so 'cause I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled out on Monday... not cool.**

**Anyway, thanks to:**

**Mic Mov - I'm glad you like the fight scenes. I didnt want them to be too short so I've come up with a lot of different magical techniques for her and some physical ones...but her brother is the more physical one. Yeah, I liked giving her a brother...she won't be alone like she and everyone else thought. =D**

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Chapter Eight

**The Olympus Coliseum**

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The journey to the next world – Olympus Coliseum – took longer than they thought due to the growing masses of enemy Heartless Ships. Goofy was exceptional on the weapons and Donald was actually pretty good on then navigational system, but the journey still took a little more than a week and a half. By then the four of them were getting a little restless.

It was a silent agreement between the four of them that they would modify the Gummi Ship the next time they were in Traverse Town. Perhaps Cid would know someone who could work on the ship for a low price. Fighting the heartless wasn't a very high paying job, after all.

The day they finally reached the next world – Olympus Coliseum – everything was going pretty smoothly. Sora was sitting in the extra third seat while Freya was sitting sideways in his lap so that her wings wouldn't get in his face. The brunette boy was idly stroking the ends of one of her braids and she was lightly kicking her heeled feet back and forth. Her staff was stowed away in the same place they Keyblade was usually stored – the realm of light – and she was sighing softly every so often.

The winged girl was evidently upset that she hadn't dreamt of her brother any more since the first night after the four companions left Wonderland. Suddenly, the winged girl saw something golden out of the corner of her eye. Freya stopped her sighing and snapped her head up, a big smile gracing her features.

"It's Olympus Coliseum!" she exclaimed with a happy smile. Finally! She would be able to stretch her wings and fly around.

"Yes!" Sora exclaimed as well, jerking forward by accident. To keep the girl in his lap from falling, he wrapped his arms around her waist. A dark flush covered Freya's cheeks; one of his hands had come dangerously close to her breasts.

Within the hour the four companions had put the Gummy Ship 'into park' and set the camouflage to disguise their ship. It wouldn't do for their ship to be discovered and destroyed now would it? They nodded to each other and were teleported down to the surface of Olympus Coliseum. They looked around, wide eyed in the presence of the magnificent building.

"Wow…" Freya whispered at the sight of the two gigantic statues holding swords above the main entry way. The four companions went through the arch and Freya felt a chill travel down her back. She looked around, but nothing was out of the norm. The winged girl shook her head and followed the brunette boy she called her friend. In the Lobby of the Coliseum, the four of them saw a half man half goat – a satyr – up onto poof a pedestal. He was correcting what looked like a sign holding the rules for the tournaments.

The group of four had nothing better to do so they went to talk to the satyr.

"Um..." Sora began, but he was cut off by the satyr as he waved his hand in the brunette boy's direction.

"Good timing." He said, not even turning to see who was there, "Give me a hand, will ya? Move that pedestal over there for me. I gotta spruce this place up for the games." He said leaving Sora to do just that. The brunette boy and the winged girl looked to each other and shrugged. They walked over to the pedestal and tried to move it. Even with their combined forces of strength, they couldn't move the pedestal.

"It weighs a ton!" Sora groaned, wiping the sweat away from his face. Freya didn't say anything. Instead she just rubbed her arms, trying to rub out the soreness. The brunette boy went back over to the satyr while Freya hopped on top of the pedestal to wait for them.

"Its way too heavy!" the boy exclaimed, crossing his arms in protest. The winged girl giggled as the satyr froze, tail sticking erect.

"What? Too heavy? Since when have you been such a little…" the satyr turned around and saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy. He then saw the Guardian Angel sitting on top of the pedestal and a grin settled on his face. Someone cleared their throat and the satyr looked back down at Sora, flinching away from his glare.

"Oh." He nervously said, "Wrong guy. What're you doing here? This here's the world-famous

Coliseum—heroes only!" he continued as he hopped off of the other pedestal. He moved over to Donald and started to gloat about his job.

"And I got my hands full preparing for the games. So run along, pip-squeaks." He said, looking back and forth between Freya and Sora.

"But I don't mind of little Miss Sweet Cheeks says here to give me a hand. All she's gotta do is sit there and look pretty." He said, slicking his hair back. A bright blush blossomed across Freya's face while the brunette boy's face hardened into a scowl. He stood protectively in front of Freya as the satyr took a step back.

"Look, it's like this. Heroes are coming from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum." He said with a sigh. This got Donald riled up – he was convinced that he and the others were heros.

"You got heroes standing right in front of you." Donald hissed, foot tapping.

"Yup. He's a real hero chosen by the Keyblade!" Goofy replied with a grin. Freya watched on with a small smile on her face.

"And we're heroes, too." Donald added in. The satyr looked back to the winged girl, half expecting her to interject that she was a hero as well. She only shook her head and sighed.

"I am no hero. I am just the hero's Guardian Angel." She said, nodding her head to the brunette boy. This time a faint blush coated his cheeks due to her praise. His heart pumped wildly in his chest and his entire body felt warm due to her praise, but the apparently the shorter figure thought less of Sora.

"Hero? That runt?" the satyr laughed, in a mocking way. He walked towards them only to come to a stop as he looked up at the brunette boy.

"What's so funny? I've fought a bunch of monsters!" Sora protested. Freya opened her mouth to object, but the satyr just approached the pedestal that the winged girl was situated upon. Sora saw what he was going to do and quickly grabbed hold of the girl's waist, setting her on her feet behind him in one fluid motion.

"Hey, if you can't even move this..." the satyr grunted, "You can't call yourself...a hero!" he was a hypocrite. He was calling the brunette boy out when even he had trouble moving the heavy pedestal.

"Okay, so it takes more than brawn. Well, well, let's see what you can do." The satyr said to him. Sora, however, was hesitant about taking the trial when Freya was going to sit out.

"Sorry to break it to ya, kid, but girls aren't allowed to participate in the games. Maybe if she had a hero to vouch for her, but there aint any here now." The small half goat man mused. The winged girl placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, letting him know that it was alright for him to take the trial.

"I really don't like to compete for fun anyway. I…don't like fighting…" she reassured him with a soft smile. He grinned, a strange feeling of protectiveness forming inside him as he looked back to the satyr. He felt like he needed to impress the winged girl.

"This trial is tough. You got what it takes?" he asked Sora, "You ready?" he asked. The brunette boy just grinned once again.

"I'm ready!" the brunette boy replied, ready to impress Freya at whatever cost.

"Okay, kid. Let's see what you've got." He said, letting them into the Coliseum. Freya spread her wings and went to set on the edge of the stone bleachers while Donald and Goofy stood next to the great arena stage. Sora stretched and then within a short amount of time completed the time trials.

While he was competing, Freya had to admit that he actually impressed her quite a bit. She even stood up and flared her wings, cheering him on. After he successfully completed the trial, she floated down next to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He puffed out his chest slightly, feeling proud of himself.

"You know, you ain't bad, kid." The satyr said, looking up at the brunette boy.

"Looks like I'm headed for the games." Sora said, leaning back with his hands behind his head. Apparently, the satyr had another idea.

"Afraid not." He had to burst Sora's bubble.

"Why not?" he demanded, glaring at the short half goat man.

"Two words: You guys ain't heroes." He said, obviously not able to count worth crap.

"That's four words, ignoramus." Freya hissed back at him, angry that the satyr was going back on his words. She could practically feel the disappointment rolling off of her brunette haired friend in waves.

"Come on!" he almost pleaded. He really wanted to impress Freya even more…because he needed her to stay. If he impressed her, she would stay…right?

"Wanna become a real hero? Start by mastering this spell." He gave Sora a little yellow orb. He would have given Freya one, too, but she had summoned her staff. Little electric waves were rolling off of it, threatening to shock the satyr into the next life. He backed off and watched as the yellow orb was absorbed into Sora's skin.

The four companions left with a sigh, standing outside of the lobby.

"I don't get why he wouldn't let you compete. You completed the time trials…" Freya angrily huffed, glaring at nothing. None of them were aware that a dark person wrapped in black robes approach them. Freya screamed out loud when said dark figure draped an arm across her shoulders.

"Rather a stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?" he grinned, planning on taking Freya with him when he got Sora into the tournament.

"Who are you?" Donald demanded, tapping his foot. The older guy, who just so happened to have blue skin, ignored the magic using duck.

"Whoa, hold on there, fuzz boy. Wait, let me guess. You want to enter the games, right?" he tightened his grip around the winged girl's shoulders and ignored the uncomfortable look that appeared on her face.

"Well, then, hey, get a load of this." He said, snapping his fingers. An Entry Pass for the games magically appeared in his hand, created out of smoke. He handed the pass to Sora without charge.

"A pass?" Sora asked, eyes lighting up.

"It's all yours. And hey, I'll be a good guy and let your girlfriend sit with me." he grinned, bringing Freya into an unbreakable hold by pressing the joints under her wings. She didn't know how he knew of that, but it weakened her significantly.

"Good luck, kid. I'm pulling for you, little shorty." He said and in a puff of smoke he and Freya were gone. Sora growled and jumped for the pile of smoke, forgetting about the games, but the blue skinned man was already gone. He let out a cry of despair and raced into the lobby.

"Hey, where's your friend?" the satyr asked, looking back at all of them.

"She's gone! Some guy in black robes with blue skin took her!" Sora ground out, anger seeping through his very core. He may be a warrior of light but _his_ light was gone. A blond stranger wrapped in a tattered cloak watched him with saddened eyes. So, his employer had taken the kid's light? It was a shame.

"It musta been Hades…" the satyr mused, spotting the Entry Pass in Sora's hand. "Come to think of it, the higher ups put up a new prize. Some sorta date with a winged being or something." With that knowledge, Sora's eyes widened. That must mean that the winner gets a date with Freya!

"Hey, how'd you get this?" the satyr questioned, pointing to the pass that Sora held in his hand.

"Can we enter the games now?" the brunette urgently asked, ignoring the shorter being's question.

"Well... I guess so." He said, making Sora's heart pump with urgency. He _needed_ to save Freya. Who knows what Hades could have done to taint her…

"We start with the preliminaries! Ready for the preliminaries?" the satyr asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, let's go!" the boy exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. He had a newfound goal in mind. Before, he wanted to impress the winged girl…but now he had it in his mind that if he won, then she would be safe from harm.

"Some real weirdos signed up for the games. Better watch yourself." The satyr said, looking around him. In the shadows of the stands two people were watching as Sora fought. Freya was being gently held back by a blond haired man. He was wearing dark blue pants with plenty of belts, brown boots, a black shirt with a cracked shoulder guard, brown gloves with a gauntlet on his left hand, and a tattered red cloak. He was carrying with him a worn bastard blade with bandages wrapped around it.

Freya wanted nothing more than to go to Sora, but Hades had put some sort of curse on her. She could only go to, or even speak to the brunette boy, if he beat the man in the tournament.

"So…what's your name?" she quietly asked as he softly stroked her wings. He had never seen something so pure in his life…nothing except the light. His light. The light he had been trying to find when Hades confronted him.

"Cloud." Was all he said as he continued to stroke her feathers. She looked up at him and smiled softly. In any other situation she would be freaking out and toasting her enemy with magic…but this Cloud…reminded her of her brother. It was a shame that she couldn't remember his name. The Guardian Angel could also tell that he was good inside. It was like he was half of something, the light of something…but she could also sense a deep darkness that was hiding somewhere around the Coliseum. Perhaps it was the darkness to Cloud's light?

"Are you looking for anyone, Cloud?" she asked once again just as quietly as before. He nodded once, briefly, looking down at her.

"You are…his light?" he questioned, nodding towards the brunette teenager. She looked back at him, distracted from the light ministrations he was giving her. A thoughtful expression took over her face.

"I would like to believe I am…but he has another. Her name is Kairi." She mumbled, looking down at the battles again.

"And yours?" he questioned softly, not used to talking so much with someone. He briefly wondered why he even cared – why he was speaking to her so much – but he brushed it aside. She reminded him of Aeris…that's why.

"Freya." She responded just as softly.

"I watched as he interacted with you, Freya." He began, testing out her name, "He wanted to impress you. Why would he do that if you were not his light? He cares for you…in one way or another." He said. Before she could say anything else, it was Cloud's turn to fight. He withdrew his hand from her wings and held it out to her. She slipped her tiny hand into his massive one and they walked to the arena together.

"You're no heroes yet, but you ain't doing bad. Lucky you came to me for coaching." Freya heard the satyr say as the two of them walked past Sora. She wanted so much to turn her head and look him in the eye. A tear trailed down her cheek, noticed by the brunette boy and his anger grew. Cloud turned to stare at Sora's group as he led Freya passed.

"Something tells me he'll be a tough one to beat. Who knows, maybe you'll end up facing him." the satyr said, looking at the girl beside the arena more closely.

"Hey, aint that your girl?" he questioned, making Sora's blood boil. As Cloud and Freya walked passed him again, Cloud slipped him a note explaining the winged girl's condition. Even the hardened warrior wasn't _that_ cruel. The brunette boy gripped the paper with newfound determination, eyes scanning over the hastily written scrawl. His mouth was set into a tight frown and he wasn't really listening to what the satyr was telling him.

"Say, you're better than I thought, kid! Wish _he_ was here to see this." The satyr said in a whimsical voice. It was then that Sora started to pay attention.

"Who?" he questioned, wondering if _he_ was a hero.

"Hercules." The satyr said, "He's a hero if ever there was one. Too bad he's off visiting his father." The shorter being continued. He nodded and went off to fight the next round of enemies, mind only on beating them so that he could win the tournament and Freya's freedom.

While Sora's group was acting victoriously, creaming any enemies that came in his direction, Hades was talking to Cloud. Said blond warrior was standing in front of the winged girl protectively. He wouldn't let anyone destroy someone else's light.

"That little punk is your next opponent, okay? Now, don't blow it. Just take him out." He grinned, making Freya gasp in realization.

"No! You can't kill him, Cloud!" she exclaimed sadly, a tear falling from her eye. He turned to her, gaze softening ever so slightly.

"If you kill him, whose light will I be?" she whispered for his ears only. His gaze hardened as his heart gave a painful jolt. Cloud turned back to the blue skinned male, gaze like hardened steel.

"The great god of the Underworld is afraid of a kid? Sorry, but my contract says…" he was cut off as Hades threw a little temper tantrum.

"I know!" he exclaimed, temper flaring, "You think I don't know? I wrote the contract! I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him." he tried to convince Cloud to kill Sora.

"Come on. Hey, it's like that old goat says. Rule eleven: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it! I mean, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?" he scoffed, waving his big blue hand. Unfortunately for him, Cloud was siding with Freya. He left, guiding the winged girl through the mass of winding hallways.

"Geez. Stiffer than the stiffs back home. Still, suckers like him are hard to come by..." the blue skinned man huffed thoughtfully.

As Cloud and Freya walked to the sidelines of the stage, the winged girl wanted to look at her Keybearer so much…but the curse Hades put on her wouldn't let her. She wanted to cheer him on, but her voice was caught in her throat. A gentle squeeze on the shoulder told her that Cloud was still behind her.

"It is time." he whispered in her ear before he swiftly hopped up onto the arena. The match was the best one so far. Cloud was truly a remarkable swordsman, but Sora wasn't half bad, either. He used the skills that he learned so far to duck, dodge, and roll away from Cloud's double slash technique. He even dove away from the special technique that Cloud used, although the winged girl never learned the name.

After an hour long battle – the longest yet – Sora delivered the winning blow. Cloud fell to his knees and his sword fell from his grasp as he lowered his blond head in submission. Sora had beaten Cloud and now the curse had broken. Hades hadn't really thought that the brunette boy would defeat the blond warrior, but it was a good thing he did.

"Sora!" Freya exclaimed, spreading her wings and easily hopping up onto the stage. She ran over to the brunette boy, throwing her arms around his neck as he dropped the Keyblade. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her into the air, spinning her around in circles. Two more tears trailed down her cheeks as she laughed in relief. He stopped spinning her and tightened his arms around her protectively. They looked to one another, seemingly forgetting that there was an audience. They leaned closer together, but then a large three headed dog burst through the wall of the stadium. Freya screamed in horror as one of the dog's paws crushed Cloud to the ground.

"Cloud!" she screamed, trying to rush forward and help him, but Sora's arms only tightened further around her waist. He dragged her away from the snapping jaws of the three headed dog and nobody noticed the blue skinned male hiding in the shadows.

"Oh, right, there was one other rule I forgot. Accidents happen." He laughed cruelly before he left. The three headed dog was about to lunge at the blond haired man, but a man in Greek attire suddenly threw the dog back.

"Herc!" the satyr exclaimed, obviously relieved that the Hero had come to save the day.

"Phil, get them out of here!" the Greek man, Hercules, exclaimed, holding the three headed dog back. He wanted to get the injured man underneath the dog's paw, but he couldn't hold back the dog from injuring everyone else if they were still there. Sora dragged the winged girl back into the lobby, tightening his arms around her once again when they were there.

"No, Sora, let me go! I have to help Cloud!" she exclaimed as she once again tried to go back to help the blond haired warrior. Sora felt a surge of jealousy flash through his body when she said she wanted to help the blond man. He was much too old for the winged girl anyhow.

"Why? Hercules has it covered!" the brunette boy responded, dodging a flailing wing.

"Because he didn't kill you when Hades told him to!" she exclaimed, calming down and starting to cry in earnest. He let her rest her head on his shoulder as the satyr began to speak. He rubbed her back, absently listening to the conversation behind them.

"Whew, that was close!" the satyr exclaimed, "That was Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld. Herc should be able to handle him. But then again, maybe not... This doesn't look good." He said, worried. Sora looked down to the crying girl and sighed. She looked up at him with tear filled amber eyes and he made a decision. He just couldn't stand it when she cried.

"Let's go save Cloud." He murmured placing his forehead on hers. She smiled up at him, hope sparkling in her eyes as she gave him a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Sora." She whispered as the enjoyed the hug for a couple of more seconds.

"Kid, you're not entering the arena, are ya? This ain't just some match. This is for real!" the satyr exclaimed as Sora released the girl from his embrace.

"I'm not afraid. You can decide if I'm hero material or not." Was his reply as he nodded to Donald and Goofy.

"Careful, kid!" the satyr warned as the four of them dashed into the arena once again. Freya almost started crying once again when she saw that Cloud was draped over Hercules' shoulder and he was unconscious. Her feathers bristled in anger as she saw Cerberus try to attack Hercules and the blond.

"Kid, I got two words of advice for you…Attack!" and once again Freya had to respond.

"That's one word, nimrod!" she exclaimed as she summoned her staff. She spun it around her body and flared her wings, taking to the sky. She was angry. Angrier than she had been in a long time. She and Sora took turns distracting the three headed dog as Hercules escaped with Cloud.

She shrieked as one of the dog's teeth scraped her leg, but she promised Sora that she wouldn't use the Anima Shield anymore…but there was another healing spell she could use.

"Teardrops of Mercy!" she cried out, raising her staff horizontally across the sky. Shimmering rain started to fall, healing everything it touched. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were instantly revitalized. They went to work once again as she summoned her power to weaken the three headed dog. It was a darkness and fire user – if the fireballs he was upchucking were any indication – so she should use a water-type spell. She searched through her brain for any type of water spell, there weren't many, to use and she finally decided on one.

"Waterga Rapids!" and with that she used the excess healing water to form whips. She twirled her glowing blue staff in front of her as she manipulated the whips to sting the three-headed dog each time it tried to use any of its major attacks.

The battle lasted for a long time. The three headed dog had a lot more stamina than they had thought, but Freya kept using her Teardrops of Mercy spell and her Waterga Rapids spell to heal the others and distract Cerberus.

Finally, after a long while, Sora finally delivered the final blow. The dog fell to his knees and fell to the ground unconscious, giving up an accessory called Inferno Band. Not needing it, Sora gave it to Goofy and made his way to the exhausted winged girl. She was leaning up against her staff. Whoever said that fighting with magic was not exhausting had never fought with magic for hours straight.

After the group of four had rested for a bit, the satyr thought it would be good to give them – all of them – an award.

"Thus, I do hereby dub thee – Sora, Donald, and Goofy - junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Further…" he was interrupted by Donald.

"Hey! What do you mean 'junior heroes'?" he questioned, tapping his foot against the ground.

"You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero." The satyr said, wagging a finger down at them.

"So, what does it take?" Goofy questioned, scratching his head.

"Well, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Just the way that I did." Hercules said with a wide smile.

"No problem. We'll start by proving ourselves in the games." Sora grinned, excited at a chance to impress Freya like he was originally intending to do.

"There ain't gonna be any games for a while." The satyr replied, "Gotta clean up the mess from that last battle first." He replied, still holding a scroll.

"Okay, we'll be back." Sora said, turning to leave.

"Wait a minute. I got something here for Freya." The satyr said, handing the scroll over to the winged girl. She opened up the scroll and nearly fainted.

"A-are you serious?" she gasped, hand over her heart.

"Yup. Dad made it so." Hercules said, nodding his head, "You are hereby dubbed a junior Goddess of Light and given full privileges to anywhere in the Coliseum." Hercules continued, much to the other three's surprise.

The four companions left, but outside the Coliseum was Cloud sitting on the exit steps. Freya squealed and rushed over to him, giving him a hug around the shoulders.

"I'm so glad you're alright. Now you can find your light!" she exclaimed, amber eyes shimmering. He gave her a rare full smile and nodded his head. Sora's jealousy grew just the slightest bit, but he decided not to let it bother him. He walked over and sensed that there was something behind Cloud's story.

"Hey, are you all right?" the brunette boy asked.

"Yeah." Was all that Cloud said.

"So why did you go along with him, anyway?" Sora asked, wrapping an arm around Freya's waist.

"I'm looking for someone." He said, closing his eyes, "Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." He then stood up

"I fell into darkness, and couldn't find the light." He responded as Sora's eyes darkened in understanding.

"You'll find it. I'm searching, too." Sora said, making Freya frown. Cloud's eyes darkened, but he didn't say anything to the girl.

"For your light? I think you've already found it." He said, eyes flickering to Freya. Cloud passed by the group and handed the brunette boy an ability sphere. Images flashed through his head and he learned Cloud's special ability, Sonic Blade. He grinned, turning around to face Cloud's retreating back.

"How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved." He shouted at his retreating form.

"I think I'll pass." Cloud replied, but none of them saw that he had a smile on his face. They stood there, watching Cloud's retreating form long after he was gone. Suddenly, a sly grin appeared on Sora's face.

"A Junior Goddess, huh?" he chuckled as Freya's face darkened in a blush.

"Shut up!" she exclaimed and the four of them laughed heartily as they teleported back to the Gummi Ship.

It looked like others could see that Freya was Sora's light…but could he?


	10. A Dream of Suspense

**Sorry for the late update, but I was still feeling a bit out of it from the whole wisdom teeth situation...aparently I had a bad reaction to one of the medicines or something that made me sick to my stomach...**

**Anyway, thanks to:**

**Mic Mov - Eeek I know right. I heart Cloud - he and Vincent are my favorite from Final Fantasy VII. (Vincent being my favorite FF character out of all FF characters). I tried really hard to keep him in character.**

**mysteriousguy898 - Thanks for the last two reviews. =D I know, I would be pissed if that were true in real life...but, then again, I'm a hockey player and not a martial artist. I knew that his special attack/Limit Break in the actuall FF game was called Omnislash, but I couldnt remember if it was called that in KH, too.**

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**Chapter Nine**

**A Dream of Suspense**

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It was cramped in the small spacecraft. Freya was definitely growing restless as she paced back and forth between the cockpit, the kitchen, and the observatory. She wasn't the only one growing restless as well, but she _was_ getting fed up with that stupid top hat she was supposed to wear with her Lady Luck dress.

One time, she had literally burned all of them with a simple swish of her staff and threw all of the ashes in the trash…but when she opened the closet the next day they were replaced. All of them.

Sora didn't have the courage tell her that she looked extremely cute when she was flustered. He, however, did let out a chuckle whenever she would wake up from dozing off and find the hat pinned to her hair even if she had her hair up in braids or not.

"Sora!" she had exclaimed one day, "We had _better_ find a new keychain or so help me…" she trailed off after giving a huff and twirling on her heel, stomping down the stairs. Sora had tried to keep a straight face through her small rant, but once she left the cockpit he burst out into hysterical laughter along with Donald. His spirit felt strangely uplifted whenever he experienced Freya doing something odd or unique.

Not to mention she was the only one out of the four of them who knew how to cook. The winged girl had been cooking for them for the entire journey.

Sora let out a sigh and turned back to the front of the ship in his and Freya's chair. He heard the telltale signs of footsteps on the stairs so he knew that the winged girl was going to the Observation Deck. Man, if only they had some books or something! Then the books would be able to take their minds off of their boredom. Even the Heartless Ships had disappeared it seemed like.

The brunette boy sighed again and looked up, imagining the winged girl's face in his mind's eye. He imagined her in the dress he had met her in, deciding that he liked her in that one better than the short decorative one that she was wearing now…even though she looked cute and innocent in it. She looked a lot more mature and graceful in the other one, though.

In his mind's eye he could picture her smiling at him. Unbeknownst to the brunette boy, a small smile spread across his face as he thought of her smiling…but then a small frown replaced it.

Just what would happen when his journey finally came to an end?

Meanwhile, the red headed girl had wandered down the stairs and had fallen asleep after ripping that blasted top hat from her head once again. The damn thing seemed to follow her everywhere! It was cursed!

Her hair was loose and gently draped over her shoulder as she gently slumbered on her stomach, remembering once again a day that would change her world forever.

_It was a day that was going to be one of the worst days in the winged girl's life. Not that she knew it, but she was going to be forcefully torn away from her twin brother for an indefinite amount of time._

_Nobody knew what was going to happen. They knew only that the newest generation of Guardian Angels was going to be born. She, along with her twin, was two of ten chosen to be tested by the Keyblades. Every generation a new set was tested and for all of the base Keyblades in the universe, there were more being created at every turn not to mention their various forms, so it was required for their people to choose possible candidates to be bonded with Keyblades. _

_There was no guarantee that the Guardian Angels would survive the bonding process, however…_

_The red headed winged girl was dressed in an intricate dress that she loved – one with frills and a corset style halter top – and nervously spun her trusty staff in her hands. She looked to the side and exchanged glances with her twin. He stood by her side but he wore a more intricate version of the clothing he was wearing the other day. The tunic he was wearing was longer, reaching the middle of his shins, with an intricate starry theme. It was black with silver stitching and a silver sash. There were slits on either side of the bottom part of the tunic that reached his waist. His signature twin blades were strapped to his back – long, thin, and sleek, but also able to cut through solid steel. _

"_Brother, I'm nervous." She whispered. He looked over to her with kind eyes and a soft smile. He was the older twin and, as such, very protective of his sister but that didn't stop him from becoming a soft ball of mush when he looked into her eyes._

"_Freya…you are a Teuchtler. Do you remember what that means?" he quietly asked her as she fiddled with the charm she had attached to her staff._

"_We are a brave and noble family. Papa was chosen to be a Guardian Angel right before we were born…" she trailed off, a saddened look in her amber eyes. His identical orbs softened even more and he stepped forward until he was right in front of her._

"_And, sister, we are the youngest Guardian Angels to ever be chosen. Mother was proud of us and she would have been here if not for her sudden death." He quietly explained lowering his forehead._

"_I…" she trailed off, a look of sudden fear in her eyes, "I don't know…if I can do this!" she whispered frantically as the ceremony was about to begin._

"_Though we leave our world of Kingdom Hearts we will always be together…" he reminded her of the feather shaped charms they had, "Our journey will be a dangerous one, Freya. Your magic will help you greatly…but just follow your heart." He said. She smiled at him, tears forming in her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. She would only cry around him – she felt safe to convey her emotions around him._

_It was time for the ceremony to begin but the amber eyed winged girl heard someone call her name…_

"_F…r…e…y…a…" the voice was slow, drawn out, distant._

"_Fr…e…ya!" the voice echoed again. She turned around, shielding her eyes from the light that blinded her._

"Freya!" she jumped up with a start, looking to the side to see Sora crouching down next to her trembling frame with a look of concern on his face. She looked around in confusion before realizing that she was not actually with her brother but, instead, lying on the couch she had fallen asleep on.

"So…ra?" she questioned slowly as she blinked her eyes. Her amber orbs were blinked in confusion before brightening. The brunette, however, was deeply concerned for the girl. She had been crying in her sleep. He didn't hesitate to reach out and wipe away her tears with his thumbs.

"Why were you crying?" he murmured, concern still lacing his voice, "Were you having a bad dream?" he continued as she sat up. He rose with her, taking a seat next to her as she settled her head on his shoulder. Not missing a beat, the brunette boy wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her closer so that they could share body heat.

"No…but I learned a few things in my dream." She said in an almost distant voice. She was silent for a few moments before she lifted her head and turned to the blue eyed boy.

"My mother is dead…" she started, startled to see the amount of sorrow that suddenly flashed across Sora's eyes, "And my father is a Guardian Angel like me and my twin." She continued in a happier voice. Her eyes sparkled as she thought of her father – what did he look like? She couldn't remember her mother or her father, but at least she had an image of what her twin looked like.

"Freya, that's great!" Sora said with a genuine smile. They looked at each other and grinned before a thought suddenly hit her.

"Sora? What's your last name?" she suddenly asked, blinking owlishly at the boy who had an arm around her waist. He looked down at her with a confused expression.

"Hikari. Why?" he asked as he blinked the same way.

"'Cause I remembered my last name, too! Teuchtler. Don't ask me what it means, though…it's not as pretty or as appropriate as yours." She giggled, "Light." She continued giggling at the ironic findings of Sora's last name.

"You're one to talk Miss Junior Goddess of Light!" he exclaimed, moving his hand so that it tickled her side. With a squeal and a jump the winged girl flared her wings lightly, trying to squirm away, but the Keyblade wielder wasn't having it.

The two eventually collapsed on the couch, content on curling up with one another and watching as the stars sped by.


	11. Deep Jungle Part One

**So I feel bad that I've taken forever to get this chapter up, so Its a bit shorter than normal - I cut the normal length chapter in half.**

**Thanks to:**

**Mic Mov - Yeah, I know...but in the next chapter, when Sora gets the new keychain, you can expect her to get a new dress =D and I think that the newer dresses she'll get used to a bit faster.**

**mysteriousguy898 - haha! I love that - Cursed Top Hat of Doom. I heart you! One of my loyal reviewers...so I'll give you a little spoiler 'cause you and Mic Mov have reviewed like every chapter.**

**Freya gives Sora her keychain...but you'll have to figure out why, when, and where. =D**

**PLEASE VOTE ON MY POLL! Seriously, two of the answers are tied!**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Deep Jungle Part One**

* * *

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the four companions reached the new world. Nobody was as happy as the red headed winged girl – she was simply going stir crazy! She knew the first thing she was going to do was to stretch her wings and have some nice flying time. Perhaps over time she could strengthen her wings and take Sora flying with her, but it would never happen if she was kept cooped up in the Gummi Ship all the time.

Freya smiled happily as she stood next to Sora's chair.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air, "The…Deep Jungle?" she questioned, cocking her head to the side in curiosity. She had never been in a jungle before. She vaguely remembered that the place she lived in before being sealed within Sora's Keyblade was surrounded by forests, but she had the distinct feeling that this kind of jungle would be extremely different.

While the others were excited to be disembarking from the Gummi Ship, Donald wasn't too happy. Goofy, however, was thoughtful.

"Hey, Donald, maybe King Mickey's down there." He commented, stroking his chin. He was being pretty laid back about the whole situation since there had been very few Heartless Ships during their trek – he was lucky about that. It meant that he had more time to sleep instead of becoming alert in order to man the weapons system.

Donald, however, obviously didn't think much of the planet.

"In a backwater place like that?" the magic using duck questioned harshly, "No way! Let's move on." He tried to use the controls to turn the ship around in order to travel to a different world, but Freya shot out a small hand. The action halted the ducks and he turned to her with an angry face. It was Sora, however, that interrupted their impending argument.

"Hold on," he interjected with a frown, "Riku and Kairi might be down there. Let's just check it out." He said. Freya nodded. Although she didn't like it when he acted like he cared more about them than her, she long gave up trying to get his attention. He had known them longer than he had known her even though she had been a part of his heart for a long time. The most likely candidate to become his light would be Kairi…and Riku was the one to push him to his true potential.

Freya was just a servant, a Guardian Angel, and a lesser friend. She was a replacement until he found Riku and Kairi…at least that was what the red headed girl believed.

Her eyes snapped back up when she heard Donald reply.

"Forget it! We're on an important mission!" the magic using duck yelled back, trying to yank the controls from the winged girl's grip.

"Just land!" Sora exclaimed as he yanked the controls towards Freya. Both of their grips proved to be much stronger than Donald's was.

"No!" the duck exclaimed, not wanting to get his feathers dirty. The winged girl sighed, becoming irritated with the two.

"Come on!" Sora exclaimed, wiggling the controls. As he did so the ship started to rock from side to side. Freya was thrown to the side, landing in Goofy's lap by accident.

"Sora!" she huffed as she extracted herself from the Knight's lap. She hung onto the empty seat that the brunette boy usually sat in as he and the magic using duck continued their argument.

"Aw, phooey!" Donald spat at them, still trying to direct the ship in the other direction. This, however, only caused the ship to rock in the other direction.

"We're landing!" Sora exclaimed, pushing the landing and ejection buttons.

"Don't touch that!" the magic using duck exclaimed in horror, "Nooo!" he wailed as the Gummi Ship magically ejected them from the ship. The four of them were separated – Sora fell into a Tree House whereas Freya landed in the middle of a camp. Donald and Goofy landed together at least.

The red headed girl landed in a heap in front of a woman who wore a white tank top and a red sarong skirt. She wore no shoes and her brown hair reached past her shoulders. The woman screamed as Freya groaned in pain, alerting a larger male to her presence. He was wearing the generic clothing of a hunter and was carrying a large shotgun.

"Oh my!" the woman exclaimed, rushing forward to the winged girl. Freya winced as she moved to sit up – there was a strange throbbing pain in her wing and her ankle. She supposed it was due to the weird position she landed in when she was ejected from the Gummi Ship.

"Are you alright?" the woman asked her as she kneeled next to the winged girl. She, in turn, groaned as she reached a hand to rub at her injured wing. It was pressed tightly against her back to try to relieve some of the pain. She looked up at the woman when she kneeled next to her, wondering if the woman was evil or not. She didn't look to be evil.

"I…am fine." Freya finally muttered at last. It was not so as her ankle and wing twanged with pain once again. She winced and the woman decided to get her into the tent that was not too far away. Getting her out of the heat would be a good idea.

"I'm Jane Porter. Why don't you tell me your name and we can have a nice cup of tea inside the tent?" she questioned, holding out her hand as an offering. Freya looked from her hand to the tent and sighed, nodding her head. She might as well, but at least she had her staff with her in case that burly man decided to try anything.

"Sounds nice." She said, accepting the hand. The Guardian Angel hauled herself to her feet and the woman named Jane helped her to the tent.

"By the way…have you seen a boy named Sora? He has brown hair and striking blue eyes…and he's probably dressed as weird as I am." The amber eyed girl chuckled, but her face instantly fell at Jane's expression.

"No, I'm sorry. I'll let you know if he does drop by, okay?" she said after making the other girl comfortable. The winged girl saw a look of curiosity upon Jane's face and her lips slowly spread into a soft smile. She caught the older woman looking at her wings and her smile grew only bigger. Soon, they were in a deep discussion about animals, but Freya couldn't help but have this nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that Sora was in trouble…

But there was nothing she could do with an injured wing and ankle, right? It was just a huge pain that she couldn't heal herself. That was reserved for others only for some reason.

Meanwhile, Sora landed in what seemed like a giant abandoned tree house. He landed harshly, banging his head on the worn wooden planks.

"Oww...my head..." he grumbled as he sat up, looking around. Suddenly, after a couple of minutes of rubbing his head, he realized that he was alone.

"Donald? Goofy?" he called into the tree house. His heart hammered painfully in his chest as he lurched to his feet.

"Freya?" he called out, looking around as he tried to listen for any sign of the winged girl. When he wanted to land here and look for Riku and Kairi he never wanted to be separated from Freya! The boy breathed deeply through his nose and tried to calm himself down. He wouldn't be able to find her if he was panicking.

Just as he became calm, however, he was attacked by a vicious jaguar. He screamed, alarmed at the ferocity of his enemy and by the fact that it wasn't a heartless that attacked him…plus the fact that his enemy actually wanted to eat him. The brunette boy dodged left and right, parrying with his weapon, and jumping away from the angry and hungry jaguar. Suddenly, Sora was knocked back, but, just when the jaguar went in for the kill, a man in a loin cloth who was clutching a spear fended the jaguar away. The big cat hissed and spit at the duo before bounding away.

The man in the loin cloth was standing very awkwardly, almost like he was standing in the stance that a gorilla would usually use, and his brown hair was in long matted dreadlocks. He turned to look at Sora with a strange look in his eye.

"Sabor, danger." He said in broken English. Sora was the one to look at him strangely this time. Was Sabor the name of the jaguar that had attacked him? The brunette boy just shook his head and walked up to the man with the dreads.

"Um...thank you." He said, smiling gratefully. Apparently the man didn't understand him as well as the boy thought he did. The man only had this blank look in his eyes.

"Thank you." He repeated, cocking his head to the side.

"Huh?" Sora questioned back, confused, "Uh, what is this place?" he questioned, looking around him. It was kind of sad to see such a large tree house in such a state of disarray.

"This place, this place." Was all that the man with dreadlocks said. It was apparent that he didn't understand much English after all.

"Okay..." Sora almost gave up, but he had to find his friends. Well, maybe not Donald and Goofy, but he had to find Riku, Kairi, and especially Freya.

"Where did the others go? Look, I got separated from my friends. Have you seen them?" the brunette boy resorted to yelling and speaking in a slow voice, hoping that the man wearing nothing but a loin cloth would be able to understand him.

"Hmm?" the hunched male grunted, obviously confused.

"Friends..." Sora explained with wacky hand gestures. He was getting fed up with this.

"Friends!" the older man grunted out as he repeated what Sora said.

"Right, my friends!" he explained and without thinking he said, "There's three of 'em. The loud one is Dona—" he cut himself off, realizing that he was asking about Donald. He didn't like the magic using duck all that much.

"Huh?" the older man questioned as he cocked his head to the side.

"You know what? Never mind." Sora sighed, finally giving up, "I'm looking for my friends, Riku and Kairi. Then there's my…Guardian Angel named Freya." He paused on what to call Freya. She was indeed his friend – even if he was starting to want something a little more than that – but just maybe the man in front of him would recognize the term 'Guardian Angel'.

"Look for Riku, friends? Freya, Guardian?" the man in the loin cloth questioned, smiling for once. Sora gasped, happy that the man had gotten the meaning.

"Right!" the boy exclaimed, nodding his head.

"Kairi, friends? Freya, Angel?" he questioned once again as Sora suddenly saw an image of the red headed girl that he was looking for. Kairi's image was replaced just as suddenly with an image of Freya. The image turned to him and smiled, giggling slightly before disappearing.

"Uhh...right..." he said, staring at the spot where the image of Freya disappeared.

"Friends here." The man in the loin cloth said. Sora's eyes widened – he knew that Freya was here since she was in the Gummi Ship when they crashed, but Kairi and Riku were here, too?

"Really!" the brunette boy questioned, voice full of excitement. The man in the loin cloth started to make a couple of weird noises.

"*&&X%." he said, but Sora didn't understand. He was speaking Gorilla. "*&&X%. Friends here." He said, looking deep within Sora's eyes as if he were begging the younger boy to understand him.

"Not sure I understand, but show me! Take me to Riku and Kairi! Take me to Freya!" he exclaimed with an excited smile.

"Tarzan." The man said, gesturing to himself, "Tarzan go."

"And I'm...Sora." the younger boy replied, "Tarzan go, Sora go go!" and with this newfound friendship formed, Donald and Goofy were waking up in the Jungle.

"Gawrsh, where are we?" the Knight said as he rubbed his head, "I sure hope Sora and Freya are okay." He murmured with a worried voice.

"Aw, who needs him? We can find the king without him." the magic using duck growled. He turned around and saw a young gorilla right in front of his face.

"Huh?" he questioned a few seconds before it registered in his mind. Both Donald and the gorilla screamed when they saw each other. The poor young gorilla ran away, leaving an oddly shaped object behind. Said object turned out to be a Gummi piece. A few moments after the gorilla disappeared the very same hunter that was leering at Freya appeared. He sighed, taking both Donald and Goofy back to camp in order to dump them on Jane.

The two of them were excited when they met up with Freya, but they were disappointed that Sora wasn't with either of the groups. Soon after Donald and Goofy appeared, however, Tarzan appeared, leading the brunette boy behind him.

"Jane!" he exclaimed as he entered the tent.

"Tarzan!" she replied with a smile as she turned away from binding Freya's ankle with a spare piece of cloth, "Oh, and who is this?" she questioned. She had never seen the boy before and she was in Freya's line of vision so she couldn't see the boy either.

"Uh, hi there. I'm—" Sora was cut off by Jane's surprised exclamation.

"Oh, you speak English!" she was genuinely surprised, "So, then, obviously, you're not related to Tarzan... Are you here to study the gorillas?" she questioned, cocking her head to the side. She hadn't heard anything about others coming to study the gorillas.

"Highly doubtful." The hunter said as he finally led Donald and Goofy into the tent. He had been grilling them with questions in a secluded area of the camp after it was clear that the two of them knew the winged girl.

"Sora!" Goofy said, smiling.

"Goofy! Donald!" he exclaimed, rushing forward to grasp at Donald's hands. The two of them jumped up and down in a friendly way before they realized that they were being friendly. Goofy stood behind the two while they jerk back and the two of them

Donald Duck and Sora hold each other's hand in a friendly way. Then Goofy

stands while Donald Duck and Sora crosses their arms looking the other way.

"Sora?" the light voice of a familiar girl cut between the three of them. Sora gasped and almost literally pushed Goofy out of the way, coming to his knees when he saw an injured Freya.

"What happened?" he gasped as she rubbed her wing. It had healed already, but her ankle would take a bit more time. A potion would work, but she didn't know if they had any left.

"I landed on my ankle wrong…" she whispered, looking away. Suddenly she was engulfed in a warm embrace. Sora wrapped his arms around her smaller body and rested his chin on her head. It had been pure torture on his nerves – he fought countless amounts of heartless while Tarzan had been leading him back to the tent and he had wondered where she was the entire time.

Now, at least they were together again.


	12. Deep Jungle Part Two

**Oh. My. God. I am so sorry that this is late. I've started school again (yeah, I use that excuse way too much) and I have 3 writing classes. Not one or two...but 3! And film studies...and Psychology. Woo. ~ *using sarcasm* **

**Anyway, I want more people to vote on my poll, but for some people that want to vote again (the poll will only let people vote once) you can just shoot me a message or e-mail me (just look for my e-mail...I'm sure its on my bio somewhere)**

**Thanks to:**

**mysteriousguy898 - In the next chapter, I promise. Sora'll be in for a surprise when she finds one hidden in the closet =P**

**Mic Mov - MEH BUDDY! *glomp* Thanks for the review. Now you can't let me down in future chapters - I actually expect a review from you now lol. It makes me happy =D**

**mysterygirl123 - Yes! I love romances with OCs 'cause I can develop it the way I want it to.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**Deep Jungle Part Two**

* * *

The red headed winged girl narrowed her eyes as the hunter reappeared in the tent. He was a brutish fellow and was quite rude. He had an air of arrogance around him and Freya didn't like him at all. A quick glance towards Sora told her that he didn't like the older ugly man either.

"A circus of clowns." He said, referring to the winged girl, Sora, Donald, and Goofy, "Not much use for hunting gorillas."

As he said that Freya's mouth dropped open. They were hunting animals? How barbaric! She tensed up as she saw the woman frowned at the hunter. Right now, the man named Clayton was not on either of their good lists.

"Mr. Clayton, we're studying them, not hunting them. This is research." Jane insisted, but the hunter only scoffed. He left in a huff, seeming to be disappointed that he wasn't going to be allowed to hunt the gorillas. Jane looked after him with a confused and baffled expression. It was like she knew what was going on, but she refused to believe it.

The woman turned to the others in the tent, giving them a warm smile despite the situation.

"Well, the more the merrier." She said in a cheerful tone, "Do make yourselves at home." She said nodding her head in a decisive manner.

"Well, anyway..." Sora said slowly as he continued to kneel in front of the winged girl.

"I'm staying."

"I'm staying." Both Donald and Sora exclaimed at the same time. Sora looked surprised that Donald said that he was going to stay. The only thing he remembered was that Donald didn't want to land in the first place.

"Huh?" he questioned, cocking his head in confusion.

"Sora, look what we found." Goofy was the one to respond to the confused boy, "Look at this." And the Knight showed both the brunette boy and the winged girl what he and Donald found. Sora sat down next to Freya and gently pulled her into his lap.

"What's that?" the brunette boy asked, curious.

"A gummi block. It's the same stuff used to build our ship." The Knight replied, still holding up the uniquely colored block.

"So that means..." the brunette boy was still a little confused, but he was slowly piecing things together.

"The King could be here." Donald explained, "So, we've gotta work together to look for him.

For now." He commented, still upset about their fight earlier. Freya frowned at him; he should have just landed when Sora told him to.

"Fine. I'll let you tag along." Sora said, "For now." He tacked on as an afterthought. He turned to Freya and looked at her with worried eyes. He didn't understand why she couldn't heal herself.

"Are you alright, Freya?" he quietly asked, ignoring the worried looks of Donald and Goofy. She looked at him before biting her lip and nodding her head.

"I'm ok." She quietly said, trying to convince the blue eyed boy that she was fine. Obviously, he didn't believe her as he pointed to her bandaged ankle.

"Really? Well what happened there?" he questioned her, tilting his head to the side.

"Um…when I landed I twisted my ankle." She admitted, scratching the back of her neck. A flush covered her cheeks and Sora couldn't help but chuckle. He thought she looked cute.

"But why haven't you healed it?" he questioned again, still not understanding.

"Because I can't heal my own wounds and I didn't have any potions." She explained in an uncomfortable manner. By admitting this she was admitting to the fact that she was knowingly using spells on Sora to transfer the damage to herself when she couldn't heal herself. His eyes widened and she knew that he would have a talk with her later, but, thankfully, he didn't bring it up in front of Jane.

"Well, you're in luck." He said with a bright smile, "I happen to have a couple of potions with me." he said, digging in his pockets for the familiar jar of greenish liquid. She made a face when he uncorked it for her and held it to her lips. Apparently he wanted to feed it to her. The blush on Freya's face grew as she drank the potion that he held for her, sighing in relief as the continuous throbbing in her ankle subsided.

"Thanks, Sora." She quietly said before giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. A dark flush appeared on his cheeks as he grinned at her, helping her up before they went to talk to Jane. She was on the other side of the tent working on her research.

"Apparently, Tarzan was raised in the jungle by the gorillas." She explained to the four of them, "Communicating with him still isn't easy, but he's learning." She sighed.

"So he was speaking in 'gorilla' back there..." the brunette boy mused, tapping his chin in thought. He had been wondering what the wild man had been speaking back at the treehouse.

"Ah, that's right. You're looking for your friends?" the older woman asked, looking down at the four companions.

"He said Riku and Kairi are here." Sora relayed back to Jane, "And one word I couldn't understand..." Freya looked at Sora with an eyebrow raised. If he didn't understand it, then it must have been in Gorilla, right?

"Why don't we try this? We'll show Tarzan some slides and see if any of them match that word." She said with a smile, but when she went to retrieve the slides she found that they were missing.

"Oh, what happened to the slides?" she cried out, finding the empty box. Freya and Sora looked to each other, a knowing smile on their faces. After agreeing to find the slides for Jane, the two of them have a little race to see who could find the slides the fastest. Unfortunately for Freya, Sora managed to snatch the last slide at the last second. She didn't hold it against him, though, and only laughed as Sora danced his 'victory dance'. The two of them entered the tent once again and handed the slides to Jane.

The six of them ended up watching slide after slide, but the first photo – one of a mysterious looking castle – caught the attention of both Freya and Sora. Sora had this weird look on his face, but Freya's eyes widened as a sudden image of herself and her brother standing in front of a majestic looking palace flashed through her mind. It looked a lot different than this one, however, and the roofs had ends that tipped upward. Jane was the only one that noticed their discomfort.

"What's wrong, Sora? Freya?" the older woman questioned, looking over at the two uncomfortable teenagers. The brunette boy was the first to speak.

"What?" he asked in an absentminded tone, "Um... Nothing." he replied once he had snapped out of his trance, but the entire time he was wondering where he had seen a castle that looked like that. It was impossible, right? Sora had never been away from his island before.

"That castle…" Freya started in a faraway tone like the one that Sora used, "It reminds me of the castle I lived in with my brother…I just remembered." She said with a sad smile. She was starting to miss her brother, but she was remembering important things. Memories were a double-edged knife. Sora looked at her and watched, entranced, as a tear fell down her cheek. Before any of the others could fall, he wrapped an arm around her waist.

The six of them looked at five more photos and after that Jane looked at the wild man.

"Well, Tarzan?" she questioned while everyone else turned to look at the ape-like man. Sora stared at him intently with his bright blue eyes.

"Where are my friends, Riku and Kairi?" the boy begged. Freya looked down at the crouching man, scrunching her eyes together and sticking out her lower lip as if she were begging the man to tell her friend where his missing friends were. Tarzan, however, shook his head and closed his eyes. It was like he was telling Freya and Sora that he didn't know where they were. Sora frowned with disappointment.

"Hey, I thought…" but he was cut off by a certain hunter storming back into the tent. Freya glared at him – she hated the very presence of the man. He was shrouded in darkness.

"That leaves just one place." He bellowed as he entered the tent. He stalked over to Sora and looked down at him, belittling the brunette boy with his gaze.

"Young man, we've been in this jungle for some time now. But we have yet to encounter these friends of yours." The hunter said, swaggering around to face the others. His eyes landed on the wild man and a nasty grimace appeared on the hunter's face.

"I'd wager they're with the gorillas. But Tarzan refuses to take us to them." he continued as he sneered at the group. He eyed both Jane and Freya a little longer than he should have, but tore his eyes away when Jane started to speak.

"Really, Mr. Clayton. Tarzan wouldn't hide…" she was cut off by the rude hunter once again.

"Then take us there! Take us to the gorillas. Go-ril-las." Clayton demanded as he looked down at the wild man. Tarzan took a long time to respond, but eventually he looked at Sora and nodded his head. Jane and the others were surprised at the sudden change in attitude.

"Tarzan...are you sure?" she quietly asked, feeling both guilty for Clayton's actions and elated that she would finally see the gorillas.

"Tarzan go see Kerchak." The wild man said, nodding his head.

"Kerchak?" Jane said, obviously confused.

"He must be the leader." Clayton interrupted the group's musing, "Perfect. I'll go along as an escort. After all, the jungle is a dangerous place." He continued, showing a mischievous smile. Freya distrusted the hunter; she hated anyone who hunted animals. He had been eying her wings for a while now…she hoped that he didn't want to hunt **her** for her wings…

After a short break, the group headed out of the tent. Along the way, Sora was attacked by a familiar foe. The red headed girl screamed as the jaguar jumped out of the jungle brush, but she managed to keep him away from the others with her staff. She bought enough time for Sora to get over his shock and he managed to knock the big cat away with a mighty swing of his keyblade. The jaguar growled at the two of them before jumping away into the brush.

After the fight, Sora and the others arrived in an area that had vines all around it. Freya stretched her wings before taking off and fluttering above the ground. She was inspecting a few of the flowers on the trees. While she was happily fluttering around, Sora watching her with a soft smile on his face. Donald and Goofy were listening to Tarzan as he spoke to the gorilla that the two of them assumed was Kerchak.

"Kerchak, please listen to me. I know the nesting grounds are secret, but I trust them. You see, I want to help them because...because...well, they need us." He said in gorilla. Kerchak didn't do a thing, but Tarzan recognized this as a sign of rejection.

"Did you get that?" Goofy said to Donald. The two of them were baffled by the gorilla speak.

"No." the duck said, shaking his head. He didn't understand a word of it.

"Kerchak." Tarzan pleaded with the overly large gorilla, but he looked upward. The action dismissed the wild man and he sighed.

"Kerchak..." the wild man breathed out in disappointment. Kerchak and the female gorilla next to him walked away and Tarzan looked down, deeply disappointed with Kerchak's actions.

Freya noticed that the wild man seemed to be looking at the tree house. After notifying Sora and the others, she flew ahead of them to the wooden structure. She felt that something was amiss and she was right. Since she was flying ahead of the others, who were literally leagues behind her, she saw that Clayton was attempting to shoot the young gorilla with his hunting rifle.

"Shield Meteor!" She exclaimed, anger in her voice. At the last second she whipped out her staff and spun it in circles in a defensive maneuver, deflecting the bullets back at the hunter. The bullets were surrounded by little balls of fire and the hunter yelped in pain as a few singed his hands.

"Freya!" she heard her name being called by a frantic Sora. He must have heard the shots from Clayton's gun.

"Sora." She called softly as she descended to the ground. He ran up to her and caught her in a warm and tight embrace.

"Sora?" she questioned softly, eye twitching at how she just noticed that the brunette boy had grown taller in their months together. He was now able to put his chin over her head.

"I thought Clayton hurt you…" he said as he tightened his embrace, "When I heard that gunshot…I didn't know what to think." He continued as he buried his face into the part of her hair that wasn't covered by the evil top hat.

"What's the big idea?" Donald exclaimed as he caught up with Sora and Freya. A grunt from above them alerted them to Kerchak's presence. He wasn't happy with the way that Clayton had treated a member of his family.

"Wait, Kerchak. Please!" Tarzan pleaded, but it was no use. The head of the family and the young gorilla left the tree house.

"You don't understand. I was only trying to... Ah. A snake slithered by, you see. I saved that poor gorilla's life." Clayton tried to reason. Freya had heard enough of his lies.

"Oh really? Then why the hell did I have to defend the gorilla? If I wasn't here to defend her then she would have been dead!" the winged girl exclaimed, the feathers on her wings flaring out in her anger. Tarzan didn't believe a word that the hunter was saying and neither did Sora. He put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to him with soft eyes before giving him another kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for worrying about me, Sora." She whispered before they all left. If she had looked back after the kiss she would have seen the blush and the goofy grin that covered his face. As the group descended to ground level once again, they were attacked by the jaguar. Using their teamwork, they all managed to defeat the big cat but he escaped once again. Clayton was nowhere to be found; he most likely went back to the camp when they had been fighting the jaguar. When the five of them returned back to the camp, Freya and Sora wasted no time telling Jane what happened to the small gorilla. The older woman instantly rounded on the hunter and began to scold him.

"How could you do such a thing!" she exclaimed, eyes smoldering with anger. She and the others were glaring at the hunter.

"Now, Miss Porter, as I told you, I was not aiming at the gorilla." Clayton tried to play off of the lie he told the others earlier that day. Jane was not having it, however, and forbade him from going near the gorillas.

"You are not to go near the gorillas again!" she seethed. Her glare worsened and Clayton took a step back.

"All because of one mishap? Come, now..." the yellow clad hunter tried to reason with Jane, but she was not having it. The hunter looked behind her and gulped when he saw Sora and Freya with their arms crossed. Freya's wings were twitching and the feathers on her wings had started to twitch. Donald and Goofy were behind them and Tarzan was beside Sora. When he saw that he was outnumbered, Clayton quickly took off.

"What am I doing with these imbeciles?" the hunter growled to himself once he was outside the tent, "Blasted gorillas! I'll hunt down every last one of them! I'll track them down somehow. I'll stake my life on it." He said, raising his pipe to his lips. Before he could start to smoke, however, he heard a noise.

Back inside the tent Sora and the others heard a gunshot. They may have not liked Clayton, but they didn't want anything to happen to him. He and the red headed girl rushed out of the tent only to be met with their shadow clad foes.

"Heartless!" Sora exclaimed, slashing his Keyblade just in time to save his face from being mauled by a monkey-heartless. He and his friends targeted one monkey-heartless each and managed to save the gorilla that was being attacked. Freya was worried – why were the gorillas being targeted by the heartless?

"Sora, go and see if any of the other gorillas are being targeted. I'm going to stay here with Jane to make sure none of the heartless hurt her." The winged girl said, bowing her head. Jane reminded her of someone who was once close to her. The brunette boy looked at her, concern dwelling deep within his gaze as he reached out. He let his fingers trace her cheek before he nodded.

"Be safe, Freya." He said before he, Tarzan, and the others went to find the gorillas. Freya went back inside the tent and put on a brave face for Jane. The reason why she wanted to stay behind, the real reason, was that she had a bad feeling forming deep within her stomach.

"I do hope Mr. Clayton is safe..." Jane murmured to the winged girl as she patted Jane's shoulder.

"I'm sure he will be when Sora gets there." The winged girl replied.

Meanwhile, Sora and the others rush to where they thought Clayton was. A gunshot was heard from the bamboo thicket, where Donald and Goofy landed in the world. Sora saw Clayton's pipe, but before he could pick it up he was attacked by the very same jaguar that had attacked him before. This time, however, he would make sure that the jaguar wouldn't attack him anymore. He brought the Keyblade up and made a furious array of slashes. Several dodges, jumps, rolls, and furious slashes later…he was definitely beaten up. It was worth it, however, when the jaguar finally fell.

The brunette boy received an accessory called the White Fang. He looked at it and smiled a bit, giving it to Goofy instead of putting it on himself.

While Sora continued to look for Clayton, a familiar little gorilla sped into the tent. She ran into Jane, knocking her to the ground, and Freya squeaked in nervousness. Suddenly, the three of them were surrounded by heartless. The winged girl growled – she couldn't do much in the closed quarters, but she could try!

"Feather Dance!" she exclaimed, flapping her wings and sending feathers slicing through the heartless. Unfortunately, she didn't notice the invisible force that was sneaking up on her. Suddenly, she was struck hard in the chest. The air was knocked from her lungs and she couldn't breathe. A large bruise was already forming on her chest where the invisible force knocked into her and a small stream of blood was trailing from her lips. Freya couldn't get her breath back and she succumbed to the darkness, hand reaching out to Jane as she and the gorilla were surrounded by the heartless.

After Sora's trek through the jungle – he couldn't find a trace of Clayton – he and the others returned to the tent.

"Jane, Freya?" he called, looking around. He had a bad feeling forming in his stomach. He opened the flap and gasped, horror filling his eyes as he saw Freya's crumpled frame. He hurried to her side and fell to his knees, hand reaching out as if to touch her. He retracted his hand at the last second, afraid that his touch would hurt her even further.

Suddenly, she moved. That was enough incentive for the brunette boy to gather her in his arms.

"Freya!" he half whispered half exclaimed, "Freya…wake up!" he gently rolled her so that her face was towards the sky and blanched at the fist sized bruise that was visible on her chest. He looked up, about to call for Jane, but he realized that said woman wasn't there.

"Hey, where's Jane?" he questioned as the winged girl started to move in his arms again.

"What's wrong, Tarzan?" Goofy asked the wild man.

"Something coming." He grunted out in his broken English, "Jane, danger. Jane near... Near tree house." He continued.

"He's right. Heartless came…a lot of them." came Freya's weary voice, "And then Clayton…" she whispered, struggling to move in Sora's arms. Unfortunately, Sora had used the last of his potions and other healing items when he was fighting Sabor. He had some in his pack, but when he mentioned it to the winged girl she said that he shouldn't bother with her right then.

"Jane is more important at the moment. I'm just bruised – I'll be fine." She said with a wince. She was having a little trouble breathing, but she wasn't going to tell Sora anything.

"Sounds like trouble. Let's go." Donald said as Sora helped the winged girl to her feet. She said nothing as they exited the tent. Instead, she raced to the swinging vines as fast as the others. She flared her wings in anger when they reached the next area, limbs twitching as she summoned her staff.

"Tarzan!" Jane yelled. She and the young gorilla were trapped by evil vines. The area looked normal except for the large black fruit that was hanging from the tree. It was emitting some sort of dark energy. Thankfully the bruise on Freya's chest wasn't bothering her that much anymore. She, along with Donald and Goofy, took care of the rogue heartless monkeys while Sora and Tarzan took down the evil looking fruit. The pure power from the Keyblade made the battle look easy.

When the fruit was destroyed, everyone rushed to Jane's side.

"Clayton came to the tent, and Freya was hurt..." she slowly said, "That's the last thing I remember." She sighed in disappointment that she couldn't remember anything else.

"Clayton?" Sora asked in shock. He had been running after the guy and he had the nerve to come back and hurt Freya? Unfortunately for the brunette boy, she was hiding her pain from him.

"Gorillas trapped. Terk ran." Tarzan translated for the small gorilla named Terk.

"We must help the gorillas." Jane implored as she sent the young teenagers a look. Sora and Freya nodded as the proceeded back to the clearing with Jane's tent. They dropped the older woman and the young gorilla off before they rushed to where Tarzan said he could hear the trapped gorillas. When they arrived, Freya gasped. Clayton was pointing his gun at the gorillas!

"No!"

"Icy Shards!" both Sora and Freya yelled at the same time. Shards of ice tore through the air and nearly ripped Clayton's hand to pieces. He glared at the angry winged girl and raised his eyebrow.

"Clayton?" Sora questioned with caution, but Tarzan merely shook his head.

"Not Clayton! *&&X%! Not Clayton!" he exclaimed and then the fight began. Several heartless swarmed the area and she glared at them. They needed to quickly end this and keep Clayton from attacking the gorillas again.

Freya spread her wings and took to the sky, ignoring the painful twinge that the bruise on her chest created. It was bothering her again and she was sure that the blow bruised the muscle and bone as well as the skin. While she was in the sky she summoned her staff and began to twirl it as she faced the ground. Soon enough, the wind started to twirl with the staff.

"Torrent Wind!" she exclaimed and her wings gave a great heave, adding to the miniature whirlwind that she sent to the ground. The mass of sharp wind blades attacked the heartless, destroying them in a matter of seconds. She managed to nick Clayton, but he just scoffed and was raised into the air by an invisible source.

Freya's chest began to constrict painfully and she sank to the ground. Her chest convulsed and she began to cough, wincing as a bitter, coppery tasting liquid stained her lips. She wiped her mouth, a little worried when she noticed the red smear on the back of her hand. The bruise must have done more damage than she thought.

After watching Sora handle the Keyblade with grace, the invisible foe became visible. It lunged forward, and the brunette boy lunged out of the way. The winged girl wasn't as lucky, however, but she was saved in the nick of time by the wild man called Tarzan. He carried her over to a large outcropping, a faint hint of worry in his gaze. She merely waved him off and raised her staff.

"Ice Shards!" she cast again, favoring the ice element spell. Shards of ice slashed at the giant lizard-like being and she felt her chest twinge with pain. It pulsed with every breath, forcing her down on one knee as she struggled to breathe. She watched with worried eyes and bated breath as her brunette boy fought against the enemy, only letting out a relieved breath as he finally defeated the monster. It fell on Clayton as it died, heart floating into nothingness.

Sora turned with a grin, but that grin immediately faded when he saw Freya on one knee. One of her eyes was closed due to the pain in her chest and she had been forced to lean on her staff in order to stay upright. He didn't even notice the green orb melt into his hand as he raced over, placing a tentative hand on his Guardian Angel's shoulder.

"Freya?" he quietly asked, eyes wide as he fell to his knees beside the girl. Donald and Goofy, along with Tarzan, gathered around the two as the winged girl tried to catch her breath.

"I can't…breathe." She wheezed out as she coughed again. He looked at the ever darkening bruise with a dark expression and wondered what to do – he tried offering her a potion, but if her chest was hurting and she couldn't breathe, could she even swallow a potion?

The brunette boy had never loved Donald more than at that moment.

"Sora?" Donald questioned, "Why don't you use the cure spell you just learned?" he continued, making the brunette boy's eyes widen. He looked down at the coughing girl and placed his hand on her forehead.

"Cure." He whispered, desperately hoping that the spell would work. For the most part it did and for that the brunette boy thanked every deity he could think of. Her bruise faded partially, but Freya stopped wheezing and coughing up drops of blood.

"Better?" he quietly asked as she looked up into his concerned gaze. She winced when the skin of her chest stretched once again. It wasn't fully healed, but she wasn't going to complain.

"Yes, but it still hurts a bit." She said, wincing again.

"You want a potion?" he questioned, getting ready to dig in his bag for a potion for her. She only shook her head, waving her hand.

"No, we need to save those for you in case I can't heal you." She said, giving him the evil eye. Freya was still sore because of the fact that the brunette boy wasn't going to let her use 'that spell' anymore.

It was sudden. Kerchak appeared and took hold of Sora's shirt, throwing him up to the next area. He looked at her and snorted, giving her permission to go up there before he threw Donald and Goofy. Tarzan jumped to the area himself while Freya flew despite the still annoying tightness in her chest. The five of them wandered through the caves until they reached a giant tree with a bunch of butterflies.

"Tarzan, home." The wild man says as they entered the inner part of the cavern. Jane and Terk also entered and the others saw that they were fine.

"*&&X%." Tarzan grunted again.

"This is your home?" Sora asked sadly, "But that means..."

"Huh?" Goofy questioned as Freya placed a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder. He didn't respond so she gave up and threw her arms around his shoulders in a warm hug. He was smiling despite the blush flowing across his face.

"The waterfalls... They're echoing all the way here." Jane said in awe.

"*&&X%. Friends there. See friends." The wild man commented.

"Oh, now I've got it. *&&X% means heart. Friends in our hearts..." Jane replied, teaching Tarzan a new word in the process.

"Heart..." he repeated.

"Oh, so that's what it meant." Sora said, voice considerably lighter.

"Friends, same heart. Clayton, lose heart. No heart, no see friends." Tarzan explained.

"Sorry about what I said." The brunette boy said to the magic using Duck.

"I'm sorry too." Donald replied and they shared a touching moment.

"Yeah, All for one, huh?" Goofy said as Freya hugged the poor brunette boy once again, giggling. A keyhole suddenly appeared from the blue light. Sora, despite his surprise, used his Keyblade to emit a beam at the keyhole to seal the world from the Heartless. An item dropped after that, drawing a weird look from everyone.

"A gummi!" Donald exclaimed, picking it up.

"But it's sure not the King's." the Knight said in a dejected voice. It was then that Freya burst out in bubbly laughter. Terk, the young gorilla, wanted to be friendly with Donald.

"I think someone has a new admirer." Jane giggled.

"No, no, no, no! Daisy would kill me!" the magic using duck denied, shaking his hands. Everyone laughed, but Tarzan hopped over to the brunette boy holding a keychain.

"Yes!" Freya suddenly yelled, spying the keychain, "Please, please, **please** change the damn keychain so I can get out of this hat!" she yelled, eyes widening as the skin on her chest pulled a little bit. Sora couldn't help but chuckle as he unclipped the Lady Luck chain and put on the Jungle King chain. At once a light surrounded the girl and her outfit changed.

When the light cleared the winged girl squealed in pleasure. She was wearing a mini-dress that was a cross between tan and beige. The sleeves were short, barely two inches, and there was a tiny bow on the front of her bust. Her ruffled underskirt reached her mid thighs while the slightly longer tan overskirt split down the middle so the underskirt could be seen. A larger bow was directly over her stomach where the material of the overskirt started to split. Tan fingerless lace gloves were on her hands and on her feet were knee high tan boots that had no heels. They zipped up the sides. Her black ribbons were around her wrists and neck while colorful flowers were embroidered on the skirts of her dress. Freya's auburn hair was coiled on the top of her hair in a braided bun, but her bangs were left down to frame her face. Tiny white roses were intertwined with her hair.

"This…is so much better." She breathed.

Finally. There was no more damn top hat. She was going to burn that sonofagun the next chance she got.

The only downfall…was that Sora could see her underwear whenever she bent over as indicated by the raging blush on his face.

Not that he was going to tell her that.


	13. Return to Traverse Town Part One

**Right, so my poll is still up for those who haven't voted on it yet.**

**Thanks to:**

**TheBeginningsEnd - Why? Is it because she's like fourteen or something (is it sad that I can't remember what age I gave her and am too lazy to look it up?) lol I was hearing a lot worse than that when I was fourteen.**

**Mic Mov - Haha thanks for the review!**

**mysteriousguy898 - Yeah, well... the Stealth Sneak was never one of my favorite bosses. He actually kicked my ass quite a few times.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**Return to Traverse Town Pt. 1**

* * *

Freya may have been happy with her new outfit, despite how short the skirt was, none of the warriors of light knew that at that very moment a meeting of the darkest of hearts was being held.

A meeting of dark villains.

A man shrouded in red and black robes, holding a staff with a snakes head, spoke first.

"What drew the Heartless to that world?" he questioned the rest of the table. Their leader, an evil woman, answered him.

"The hunter lured them there." The woman said, "It was his lust for power that was the bait…but it seems the bait was too tasty for his own good." She murmured, looking towards the group of other people. Across the table, the sack filled with bugs started to laugh.

"Yeah, he got chomped instead!" he howled. The first man, the one shrouded in red and black robes, frowned.

"A weak-hearted fool like him stood no chance against the Heartless. But the boy is a problem…as is the girl. He found one of the Keyholes and her protection is becoming an irritating factor." He mused with a frown on his face. The green skinned woman only smirked.

"Fear not. It will take him ages to find the rest." She calmly said, "And I am sure there is a way to take down the girl…or convince her to come to our side."

The evil woman waved her hand and an image of Sora and Freya appeared on top of the table that the evil beings were surrounding. The woman sneered down at them, obviously disgusted at the way the winged girl was hugging her brunette friend.

"Besides," the evil woman commented again, "he remains blissfully unaware of our other plans."

"Yes, the princesses...and that boy. The one we can't wake." The large sack filled with insects mused.

"The princesses are falling into our hands, one by one." The green skinned woman said as a small blonde girl, Alice, was shoved forward. She looked around with a confused and frightened expression.

"Speaking of which..." the evil woman said in a cold voice as she turned to the frightened girl.

Meanwhile, Sora and the others had made it back to the camp. They stood crowded into the tent that Jane owned.

"Well, guess we better get going." Sora commented with a slight blush. He hadn't gotten over the fact that he could see Freya's panties when she bent over. He tried not to look, but it was so compelling! And she seemed like she didn't know that he could see her panties, either.

"Yeah, I need to make sure that all my hats are gone." The winged girl said with a shudder. She much preferred the hairstyle she received with the Jungle King.

"Where is your ship, anyway?" Jane asked with a worried tone to her voice. She hadn't seen another ship arrive.

"Well, uh... Not too far." The magic using duck stammered, not exactly knowing where the Gummy Ship had landed. The group could teleport back to the ship, however, so everything was alright for the most part.

Sora was startled when Tarzan came up to the two of them. The brunette boy looked down at the wild man, a small smile on his face.

"Sora, Tarzan, friends. Freya, friends." He said in English. This caused the red headed girl to grin widely, tears sparkling in her eyes. Her chest still hurt a bit from her previous injury, but she wasn't going to tell anybody that.

After saying their final goodbyes, Donald teleported them to the Gummi Ship. The first thing Freya did was go search her closet. Instead of being filled with top hats, like she thought, the top shelf was filled with a multitude of flowers.

"Weird." She thought out loud.

"Definitely." Sora's voice came from behind her as he placed his chin on her shoulder. A large blush formed on Freya's face, but she wasn't about to turn around and show it to him. Suddenly, a flash of some sort of leather caught the winged girl's attention. Her top hat radar kicked in and she snatched it from its hiding place among the flowers.

"I KNEW IT!" she shrieked causing Sora to burst out into laughter. The winged girl abruptly turned around and headed for the kitchen, eyes blazing. After shuffling through several pots and pans, without finding anything big enough for her purpose, she reentered the room and made her way to the bathroom.

"This time…you are going to **die**." She hissed to the top hat. Sora watched her with a curious expression, chuckles still emitting from his mouth now and again. That is, they continued to escape his person until a flash of fire came from within the bathroom. A small explosion followed it and the brunette boy promptly fell from the bed with a bewildered expression on his face.

Freya emerged from the bathroom looking victorious. She wiped her hands off before grinning at the brunette boy and pulling him from the room.

"What just happened?" Sora questioned her, but he only got silence in response. Just when he gave up on an answer, she twirled around and placed a peck on his cheek.

"Just don't worry about it, Sora, dear. The hat got what it deserved." She sighed and the two of them met up with Donald and Goofy in the control room. Sora sat in his seat and pulled Freya down with him, both of them finally getting used to sitting in the same seat.

"The gummi block that came out of that glowing hole... It's not like the others." The brunette boy mused, "Wonder what it's used for." He continued, scratching his head.

"I dunno." Donald replied with a simple shrug. Suddenly, Goofy came up with an idea for them. It was brilliant, really.

"Maybe Leon'll know." he said, staring at the other three with an intent expression. Sora and Freya looked at each other before shrugging.

"Hmm... He might. Back to Traverse Town, then?" Donald questioned, getting ready to sit at the controls. This was before Sora jumped up, consequently dumping his load to the ground. Freya looked up at him before getting up and marching out of the room and down to the Observation area.

"I wanna be pilot!" Sora argued like a child. He really did want to pilot, but his piloting skills were sorely lacking.

"Hey, stop it!" Donald exclaimed, throwing himself in front of the controls.

"Oh, come on! I'm the Keyblade master."

"I don't care who you are! No!" their argument was getting louder and louder.

"Here we go again..." the Knight sighed before going to his station, looking over the scanners and checking the weapons system. Eventually Donald relented and watched with a very wary eye to make sure that Sora somehow didn't blow the ship up while they were heading back to Traverse Town. The blue eyed boy did a very good job, if he could say so himself, and he would take the chance to brag about it to the others…if they could find them.

The four of them wandered around Traverse Town for the majority of three hours before they gave up next to the Waterway. Freya bent down, not noticing the red screaming on Sora's face or the fact that he turned away mighty quickly. She played with the water for a few minutes before noticing that something was red on the bottom of the Waterway.

As Donald and Sora argued, the winged girl called her staff. She recognized the shape and design of a trinity mark anywhere. The girl took in a deep breath before concentrating on the trinity mark. She twirled her staff around before shoving it into the loose bars of the Waterway, creating an entrance to what lied beyond it.

"Hey, guys! What if we tried in here?" she questioned, cocking her head to the side. Sora had to look at her after forcefully pushing the blush away from his face – due to the water, her dress was sticking to her skin. Her hair was a little limp because of the moisture, and there were water beads sticking to her skin as well.

Sora and the others follow her into the Secret Waterway and it was there that they found the mysterious Leon. Aerith was there as well.

"So, you found the Keyhole." Leon commented in his usual stoic voice. He raised an eyebrow at Freya's outfit, but otherwise said nothing about it.

"Yeah." Sora replied, "The Keyblade locked it automatically." The brunette commented with a smile.

"Good." Aerith said before sighing in relief. Freya nodded her head and looked around the room – it was actually a very pretty face.

"Every world among the stars has a Keyhole." Leon began in his normal deep voice, "And each one leads to the heart of that world. There must be one in this town as well." He said, catching the wandering attention of the winged girl. She came to stand behind Sora with a worried expression on her face.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, eyes worried.

"It was in Ansem's report." Aerith replied causing the red headed girl to sigh.

"No wonder. I've never read it." Freya commented, but Leon interjected his thought as if he never heard her.

"The Heartless enter through the Keyhole and do something to the world's core." He explained to Sora who was paying attention to something serious for once.

"What happens to the world?" he questioned, sparing Freya a glance. Perhaps something had happened to her world and that was why she had forgotten her memories.

"In the end, it disappears." The brunette woman replied sadly. This caused the four young members to gasp.

"What!" they exclaimed. Freya sported a horrific look on her face – if her world had, indeed, disappeared, then what happened to the other Guardian Angels?

"That's why your key is so important." Leon explained, drawing Freya from her thoughts once again.

"Please lock the Keyholes. You're the only one who can." The woman in the pink dress pleaded with them.

"I don't know..." Sora began, feeling highly intimidated with the daunting task that Leon had requested of him. What if he failed? What would happen to Freya then? Would she return to nothingness?

"Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well." The older man tried to convince Sora that it was a good idea.

"Yeah!" Donald exclaimed, thinking of finding his King.

"We gotta find your friends! And King Mickey!" Goofy put in his two cents. Now, Sora turned his bright blue eyes to Freya. He asked her opinion with his gaze. The winged girl blushed and looked down, bringing her hand up to rub at the back of her neck.

"I…want to go." She said looking up with him. She bit her lip, looking very cute in the brunette's opinion.

"I would like…to see if we could find Trey in our travels." She continued, "Besides, I promised to help you find your friends, didn't I?" she questioned with a smile.

"I guess you're right... Okay!" and with that he grinned at her, giving her a quick hug before turning back to talk to Leon again.

"Hey, Leon. This gummi block's different from the others. Do you know what it's for?" the brunette boy questioned, holding out the block in question.

"..." was the only response that the boy would get as the older man pondered the answer. Aerith, however, told the group to go find Cid.

"Ask Cid. He should know." the woman in pink said with a smile. The two young humanoids thanked her and the four went to exit the Secret Waterway. Before they could reach the water, however, Leon called them back.

"Wait, Sora. Take this with you." The older man called, walking up to the brunette boy and handing him a shiny stone.

"Ooh, pretty." Freya breathed, wings flaring out to balance her as she leaned over Sora's shoulder.

"This stone holds some mysterious power. I've been carrying it for luck. I want you to hold onto it." Leon said. Sora looked at the stone in his hand – it was pretty, but he had no idea what it was used for.

"How do you use it?" he questioned Leon, but apparently he had stumped the older man again. They were left with no answer. After a few minutes the four of them left, making their way to the Accessory Shop to visit with Cid. He brightened up when he saw the four of them, grinning widely.

"What've you got there?" he questioned as Sora produced the block, "Hey! Well, if it ain't a gummi block."

"Yup." Donald replied, stating the obvious.

"What's this one for?" the Knight asked, scratching his head in confusion. Cid stared blankly at the four of them for a few moments before blowing up.

"You're kiddin' me! You're flyin' a gummi ship and you don't know nothin' about navigation gummis? Bunch of pinheads. Interspace ain't no playground." He lectured them. Freya shrank back in surprise, hiding behind Sora. He stepped in front of the winged girl and frowned, getting ready to yell right back.

"There's a lot we don't know. So what!" he exclaimed, angry that Cid had upset his friend, "We have to use the gummi ship to go to other worlds. We don't have a choice." He stated with finality. The older man was surprised at the tone that Sora used, leaning away from him and scratching his head.

"Whoa, easy. I didn't know." the blond man grumbled, "No hard feelings, all right? Well, I guess could lend y'all a hand, then." He gave in, being drawn into the cute expression Freya was giving him from over Sora's shoulder.

"Thanks." The brunette boy grinned, mood suddenly switching from one extreme to the other.

"Basically, with navigation gummis, you can go to new places. You want one on your ship, right?" the engineer questioned, grunting after Donald and Goofy nodded, "I'll install it for you. But I got this thing I gotta go deliver first." He said as he scratched his head. Sora cocked his head to the side and leaned forward, causing Freya to lean forward with him.

"What do you need to deliver?" Sora questioned curiously.

"Just this book." Cid said as he held up an old book, "It's real old. When the guy brought it in, it was practically falling apart. Too beat up to restore it to the way it was." He continued as he chewed on the toothpick in his mouth.

"But overall, I did a decent job puttin' it back together. Anyway, you mind deliverin' it for me? It's the old house past the Third District. Look for a big fire sign." Cid requested of the group. Sora and Freya looked at each other.

"Do you mind?" Sora questioned the winged girl. Freya only shook her head and smiled.

"It's fine with me." she said, "Let's go!" and with that she grabbed his hand and they rushed from the shop.

It was fortunate that Sora had grabbed onto the book before they left.


	14. Return to Traverse Town Part Two

**Yay so my uber important showcase is over! It was like 1/3 of my grade for one of my college courses. It had to do with making brochures for a therapeutic riding program (riding as in horses).**

**Anyways, now I can update again!**

**Thanks to:**

**Mic Mov - Yay, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**procrastinating artist - Aww, thanks! I'm glad you like my story so far. lol I can't tell you where Trey is, yet, but...most people have already probably guessed it by now**

**mysteriousguy898 - Um...No, no life. Just school. rawr, I just registered for classes and I'm enrolled in an the second level of fiction writing offered at my school! yayness. I had to work with a final story with the first one...about ninjas and stuff...but it was like a historical fiction so the ninas weren't naruto-like and stuff.**

**keysoul - right, so I can't remember if I answered your questions in a PM or not...if not, just message me lol**

**TheBeginingsEnd - lol I know, right. I mean, my guy friends were even perverted at that age (I've known a few since we were 13 and now we're 20) so...yeah lol**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Return to Traverse Town Part Two**

* * *

Freya smiled as Sora took the old book from Cid. Then, the four of them felt a shaking and then heard a bell sound. The shaking was so bad that the red headed girl lost her balance, but she had a certain brunette to help her. He wrapped his arms around his waist, giving her a small look of concern, but turned back to Cid when she just smiled.

"Wh-What was that?" he questioned with wide eyes. Freya was looking around with a curious expression on her face, eventually pulling away from his arms with a blossoming blush. She went over to the window and looked out, bending over. Sora hurriedly stood in front of her behind so that Cid couldn't see her panties.

"Hmm?" Cid questioned, scratching his head, "The bell at the gizmo shop is ringing. Go check it out if you want, but deliver that book for me first. When you're done, stop by the house in the Third District. I'll be there." He gruffly said. The four of them looked to each other before nodding.

One by one they exited the Accessory Shop. They walked for a few minutes before Freya became bored.

"Aah! I know a faster way to do this." She sighed, flaring her wings. She grabbed Sora around the middle and hefted him into the sky.

"Hey, what about us?" Donald screamed after them, barely noticeable over the brunette boy's laughter.

"Find your own ride!" the red headed girl called back. It was not time at all before they arrived at the empty house. The two of them giggled to themselves as they waited for Donald and Goofy. When the duck and dog finally arrived, the four of them jumped over the moving stones.

"Who in their right mind would charm the platforms to move in water?" Freya muttered to herself as she almost tumbled into the cold liquid.

"Someone who likes to torment others." Sora replied as he grabbed her hand at the last minute. She would have flown everyone to the other side, but her wings were tired. They reached the other side and entered the house via the huge hole in the wall. They looked around and Freya climbed up on top of the platform as she looked towards the ceiling. Sora, however, saw something out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang through the house.

"There's something about this musty place..." her voice echoed through the house before an image of her appeared. Kairi looked to him and smiled.

"It reminds me of the secret place back home, where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?" she continued.

"Kairi?" Sora murmured before stepping back in surprise. Kairi's image had been replaced by an image of Freya, but this girl looked to be different than the girl standing with her back to him.

"The time is coming. I'll get to see Trey again." She said in a softer voice. The phantom Freya was dressed in some sort of odd dressy-robe thing and she had a bright smile on her face. It was different than the smile she gave him and he was almost jealous of it.

"Sora?" The voice of the older Freya called to him. He turned around and looked at her in the Lolita dress before looking back to the one wearing the robes. She wasn't there. Was she simply a figment of his imagination?

Just as suddenly as the phantom girl disappeared, an old man in a blue robe appeared in the hole in the house. He had a long white beard, a tall and pointed hat, and he had half-moon spectacles on his face. Freya looked at him with a surprised expression on her face and Sora retreated a few steps. The old man was weird looking, after all.

"Well, well," the old man said as he put down the worn suitcase he was holding, "You've arrived sooner than I expected. And I see that young Freya is with you, too. Good, good."

"Wha... You knew we were coming? And How do you know Freya's name?" he said, moving just ever so slightly in front of the winged girl. She had twitched and was holding her hand behind her as if to summon her staff.

"Of course I knew. And I've known Freya for a long time. Trey sends his regards – I saw him a while ago, but you were still trapped in your Keyblade." He said, making the red headed girl's eyes narrow.

"You know my brother?" she questioned, but the old man didn't respond. Sora tried his luck with the old man.

"Are you...a Heartless?" he questioned. Freya looked down at the brunette boy with a weird look on her face. Why would a Heartless tell you if it was a Heartless?

"He doesn't look like one." Donald commented in a whisper. It was then that the old man turned from his suitcase – he had been looking through it for something.

"Oh, my. No," he said as if he were insulted, "My name is Merlin. As you can see, I am a sorcerer." He commented. Freya gasped – she had heard of a sorcerer named Merlin from her parents. That was a long time ago. She never expected him to still be alive.

"I spend much of my time traveling. It's good to be home. Your King has requested my

help." The four of them looked at each other in confusion. Merlin knew the King?

"King Mickey?" Goofy questioned him just to be sure.

"Yes, indeed." The older man replied, nodding his head. "Ah, Donald, Goofy. Freya…and who might you be, young man?" he said, naming each member of the group once again.

"I'm Sora." The brunette boy said as he relaxed his stance. He cocked his head to the side a little when he noticed that Freya had sat down on the platform. She leaned forward, wings spread just a little, and her legs were swaying back and forth.

"Ah. So, you have found the key." Freya frowned at this. Did everyone seriously have to refer to Sora as either 'Keyblade master', 'Master of the Key', or, her least favorite, as simply 'the Key.'

"What did the King ask you to do?" Donald asked, ignoring both the winged girl and the brunette boy that was standing just in front of her.

"Just a moment..." Merlin said, climbing the stairs and settling himself right behind the winged girl. He opened his bag and waved his arm, shouting "Presto!" Freya squeaked in alarm and Sora rushed forward as she slipped off of the stone surface. She landed safely in his arms and he set her on the ground. Merlin simply laughed as a dark flush spread across both of their faces.

As the wizard waved his hand, his belongings came out of the bag. With a bright flash of light, the empty house was filled with the belongings and the formerly empty atmosphere was bright and cozy. Merlin gestured for the four of them to sit anywhere and they did so. Sora and Freya decided to sit on the bed so that they could be close to one another.

"There, now. Ahem." Merlin said, coughing a little to clear his throat, "Your king asked me to train you in the art of magic. Freya is well versed in this so she can help as well." He explained as the winged girl nodded with a smile.

"That's right. I learned from one of the best magic users…" she trailed off as she suddenly remembered part of a memory. Sora gazed at her with a mixture of sympathy and happiness. He was happy that she was regaining her memories, but he knew that it was taking its toll on her.

"Anyway, we can start anytime you like. Let me know when you're ready to begin the

training." The old magic user said. Suddenly, it was like he remembered something, "Oh! And one more thing." He pointed towards a small carriage in the corner of the house. With a wave of his hand, the carriage transformed into a cheery older woman. Her blue robe matched the blue that Merlin was wearing.

"Hello. I'm the Fairy Godmother." She introduced herself with a smile, "Your king asked me to help, too. I will assist throughout your journey." Freya smiled widely at the older woman. She seemed to be excited to meet her.

"I do not know how much I can be of help, but do stop by anytime." Merlin mused as he turned away. A thought ran through Freya's head as she remembered the book that Sora held in his pocket.

"Sora! The book!" she exclaimed, poking the brunette boy in the side. He jumped, squirming, before he produced the book from his pocket. He gave a huge grin and the two of them went over to the old magic user once again. Freya jumped up on top of the stone surface as she watched the two males converse. Donald and Goofy seemed to have disappeared somewhere.

"Oh, that book... So, Cid asked you to bring this. Thank you." The old man winked at them as he took the book back, "You wish to know what kind of book it is? I don't even know, myself." He explained as Freya looked on in interest.

"In fact, it's not mine." He continued as the red headed female raised an eyebrow, "Somehow it found its way into my bag one day. It was such a curious book, I asked Cid to repair it for me." he continued once again, not even aware that he was rambling. Freya let out a soft giggle when he placed the book on a nice golden pedestal, "Well, I guess I'll put it here for now. This book holds a great secret. The missing pages will unlock it. I'll leave the book over there. Do look at it whenever you like." He said nodding his head and smiling at the two who were listening to him, "My best regards to Cid for repairing it for me."

The two were about to walk away when he commented on the stone that Leon gave Sora.

"Oh, and about that stone of yours... you should ask the Fairy Godmother about that." He said as he rubbed his chin.

"Thank you, Merlin." Freya said in her soft voice. He nodded and the two of them went to go talk to the Fairy Godmother.

"Do you know what this is?" Sora questioned, a small blush forming over his face when the winged girl placed her chin on his shoulder. She was looking at the gem over his shoulder.

"Oh, the poor thing! He has turned into a summon gem." The Fairy Godmother mused with a sad expression on her face.

"A summon gem?" the brunette boy and the winged girl questioned at the same time.

"This little creature lived in a world that was consumed by darkness. When a world vanishes, so do its inhabitants. But this one had such a strong heart, he became a gem instead of vanishing with his world." The older woman explained. Freya's fluttering heart felt like it was being pulled as she stared at the little gem.

"Can he regain himself?" Sora asked in a sad voice.

"Yes, but only his spirit." The older woman explained, "Now, watch! Bibbity Bobbity boo!" the woman exclaimed as she waved her want. She cast a spell on the summon gem and a small silver light encased Sora.

"Wha?" he yelped as Freya jumped back.

"Sora! You can summon him, now!" Freya squealed in happiness.

"Whenever you call, he will help you. If you find any more of these, bring them to me. Don't worry, when their worlds are restored they will return there. Sora, Freya, please help save them." the older woman said. The two young teens looked at each other before looking at the older woman again.

"Don't worry, we will." They said in unison.


	15. Return to Traverse Town Part Three

**Right, so I'm doing good updating all my stories XD**

**mysteriousguy898 - Um...the armor didn't nail Sora, but I hope this was as good as you hoped...**

**Mic Mov - Hehe I finally got the next chapter up! Hope you enjoy! Oh! and a belated Happy Birthday!**

**Keysoul - Good! Sometimes I'm so scatterbrained lol. I have to write down everything, too - like Freya's attacks and outfits and stuff.**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting -Aww, well thank you XD**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Return to Traverse Town Part Three**

* * *

The two teenagers sighed as they realized they had to make the long trek back to where Cid was waiting for them. Freya's wings were still tired so she couldn't just fly them there. They had no choice but to jump across the stones floating on the water outside of Merlin's home.

"You'd best go see Cid before going anywhere else." The old man said as he nodded goodbye to them. The Fairy Godmother smiled at the two when they left, edging themselves around the house.

"I…don't want to go first…" Freya said, eying the water nervously. Sora knew how to swim – she knew that from her time as a ghost-angel on Destiny Islands.

"Okay, wanna go together?" the brunette boy questioned as he held out his hand. A grin spread across his face as his blue eyes sparkled. Freya smiled and took his hand. Laughter bubbled from the two of them as they jumped across the moving stones. They proceeded back into the Third District. The two of them were too busy pushing each other that they were unaware that a Heartless was jumping for them.

But, as Freya leapt in front of Sora in order to absorb the hit, a familiar silver haired figure destroyed it with a sword. Another figure was standing just behind him, a familiar figure that Freya would never forget.

"There you are. What's going on?" the silver haired teenager exclaimed, making Freya look towards him. She couldn't decide who she was going to pay more attention to – the silver haired boy who knew Sora, the one who was on the island with her brunette boy, or her brother.

Her brother won.

"Trey!" she exclaimed as she ran towards the figure behind the silver haired boy.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed, stumbling forward the same time as his Guardian Angel. Unfortunately, he couldn't see Trey. Neither of the boys knew that he was there. Freya didn't even notice that something was wrong until she stopped right in front of her brother. Instead of being a solid person, he was ghost-like. It was almost like how she was when she was waiting for Sora to summon the Keyblade for the first time.

Freya turned around to get a good look at the sword that Riku held. It _looked_ like Trey's sword, but it had some differences as well. It was then that she felt it. The sword wasn't good. It was made out of innocent hearts. It wasn't pure, which was probably the reason that Trey wasn't solid like she was.

Her brother looked at her with a look of mixed joy and extreme sadness. He reached out his hand and tried to place it on her cheek, but it passed right through her body.

"Trey…" she murmured, eyes downcast. She would have said more, but a sound behind her caught her attention. She turned, mouth opening slightly at the sight before her. Sora had two of his fingers in Riku's mouth, trying to stretch it as far as it could go. It was weird.

"Hey, hey, cut it out." The silver haired male said, swatting at his friend's hand. Freya and Trey came to stand next to the two keybearers.

"I'm not dreaming this time, right?" the brunette boy questioned, grinning as wide as he could. He couldn't believe that Riku was right in front of him!

"I hope not. Took forever to find you." This made Freya giggle. Riku turned to look at her, eyes narrowing as he took in her short dress and the wings on her back.

"And who – better yet _what_ are you supposed to be?" he questioned her.

"I'm Freya. I'm Sora's Guardian Angel."

"Oh? And how'd he get so lucky to have a 'Guardian Angel?'" Riku questioned, putting air quotes around her title. Freya frowned – he didn't act like this on the island. Was he jealous now that she was a tangible object?

"Because he's a Keyblade Master." The red headed winged girl replied, wrapping an arm around Sora's shoulders. Riku seethed – he was a Keyblade Master as well. Why didn't he get a Guardian Angel?

"You have one, too." The red headed girl replied, "You just don't believe in him."

The three of them stood staring at each other for a few moments before Sora realized something.

"Wait a second, where's Kairi?" the brunette boy questioned. Freya started, recoiling with a slightly shocked expression. She had forgotten about Kairi.

"Isn't she with you?" Riku asked in a light tone. "Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island, too." Freya was confused. Why was Riku taking this so lightly? Shouldn't he be worried about his friend? The winged girl looked at the boy harder and suddenly saw a thin dark aura emitting from his heart. A string was attached to it, feeding it. The string led into the shadows where she saw the outline of a woman. The woman wasn't fully there – just her influence, but Freya was alert anyway.

"We're finally free." Riku continued, "Hey, she might even be looking for us now."

Suddenly, two Shadows appeared behind Riku. Freya reacted at the same time that Sora did. The two of them twirled around each other and took out the Heartless with their respective weapons. Riku was still talking and it was like he didn't even notice the Heartless at all.

"We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this…" he stopped short when he realized that neither Sora nor Freya were in front of him anymore. The translucent Trey was staring at his twin with a proud look in his eyes. He wished that he could be part of the battle, but until Riku stopped using the weapon made of the hearts of innocent princesses, that was a no go.

"Leave it to who?" Sora questioned with a cocky smirk on his face. Freya giggled and adjusted her wings, rising into a standing position. She walked over to the two boys and gave her brother another glance.

"Sora, what did you…" he trailed off, speechless.

"I've been looking for you and Kairi, too, with their help." Sora wrapped an arm around Freya's waist. She squeaked but smiled at the silver haired boy's shocked expression. She knew what he was thinking – it was written clearly on his face. How would Sora, the resident innocent boy, have enough guts to wrap his arm around a girl? Well, Sora was growing up.

"Who are they?" Riku questioned, glaring at Donald and Goofy. They had finally reappeared from their mysterious hideout.

"Ahem. My name is…"

"Nobody cares right now." Freya hissed, glaring at the duck. He glared right back at her, but Sora continued on as if this were a normal occurance.

"We visited so many places and worlds, looking for you."

"You've got that right. We've had a tough time looking for you, Riku." Freya said, ruffling her bangs as she looked at Sora's friend. She was still wary of the string trailing from Riku's heart.

"Really? Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed." He said nonchalantly. Freya frowned as the silver haired boy stepped forward even closer to the two of them. She saw her brother reach out to touch Riku's shoulder, but his hand went right through Riku's skin.

"Oh, and guess what? Sora's the Keyblade master." Goofy exclaimed as he grabbed the brunette boy's shoulders. Sora grinned bashfully.

"That's right!" Freya exclaimed with a happy smile, turning to wrap her arms around Sora's waist. The two of them smiled even wider as they felt their bond grow.

"Who would've thought it?" Donald commented rudely as the two entwined people looked down to glare at him.

"What's that mean!" Sora exclaimed in anger. He would have lunged at the magic user, but Freya's arms around his waist kept him in place. She was laughing up until the point where she felt a great stab of pain pierce her heart. She gasped and doubled over the same time Riku called out to them.

"So, this is called a Keyblade?" Riku called, holding up the familiar key shaped weapon. Freya knew what was wrong – the darkness that was tainting Riku's heart was trying to outshine the light within the Keyblade. By doing so, it was trying to take over Freya's heart as well.

"Hey, give it back. Stop hurting Freya!" Sora exclaimed, noticing that every time Riku squeezed the hilt of the Keyblade the red headed winged girl would wince in pain. Riku smirked and backed up.

"Catch!" he called before chucking the Keyblade at the brunette boy. The moment it left Riku's fingers, Freya felt like she could breathe again. Whoever had an influence on Riku's heart was a being of great darkness.

Okay, so, you're coming with us, right? We've got this awesome rocket. Wait 'til you see it!" Freya felt uncomfortable with Riku in such a tiny space, but hopefully they would have gotten an upgrade since Cid was working on it. The darkness around his heart was just unsettling.

"No, he can't come!" Donald exclaimed, startling Freya out of her mind. She squeaked and looked back down at the duck.

"I don't think that's very fair, Donald." Freya said, "Sora's been looking for him for a long time."

"He can't come!" the duck exclaimed again.

"What?" Sora asked, almost appalled at the idea.

"Forget it!" the duck said as he tapped his webbed foot.

"Oh, come on! He's my friend!" Freya would have mentioned her brother, but she didn't want either Sora or any of the others to think that she was developing mental problems.

"I don't care!" Donald squawked as he crossed his arms. It was like he thought that he was the boss of the group. Freya was about to say something else, but Goofy beat her to it.

"He's gone." The knight said, pointing to the shadows. Sora's head snapped up and he looked to where Goofy was pointing.

"Riku?" he questioned, alarmed, before sagging in defeat. "Nice going. Oh, well. At least he's okay. And who knows? Maybe we'll run into Kairi soon, too." He said, truly happy for once. Freya smiled, happy that Sora was happy. He interlaced their fingers and went up to the small house in the Third District. There, they met Cid and the others.

"You guys ever hear of Maleficent? I hear she's in town." The blond mechanic asked them. He shuddered as if the very name gave him the chills. Sora and Freya looked at each other and shrugged – neither of them had heard of the woman.

"Who is she?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side in a cute and curious fashion. Cid's eyes widened and it was like he was devastated that the two of them had no idea who Maleficent was.

"A witch, man, she's a witch!" and he went off on some sort of tangent, waving his arms around to emphasize his meaning.

"She's the reason this town is full of Heartless. Don't take her lightly." Leon warned, ignoring Cid's random arm waving. Aerith walked over to the group as well, concern and sadness evident in her gaze.

"She's been using the Heartless for years." The brunette woman explained.

"We lost our world, thanks to her." Leon added in a bitter comment.

"One day, a swarm of Heartless took over our world!" Cid continued the explanation, waving his arms around again as he talked.

"That was nine years ago." Leon said, looking over to his companions. At times, the leader couldn't believe that nine years had passed since their world had been taken over.

"I got out of that mess and came here with these guys." Cid explained, nodding his head. Freya and the others could believe it – Cid was a genius with Gummy blocks.

"That's awful!" Freya exclaimed sadly, remembering her own world in faint clips. She still couldn't remember it in its entirety, but if she had been forced from her home by the Heartless…well, that would have been very difficult for her.

"Our ruler was a wise man named Ansem. He dedicated his like to studying the Heartless." Leon said, remembering about something important.

"His report should tell us how to get rid of the Heartless." Cid said as well, obviously thinking of the same thing that Leon was thinking of.

"Where's this report?" Sora questioned, thinking of collecting it and using it to destroy the Heartless.

"We don't know. It got scattered when our world was destroyed." Leon replied. Freya sighed and smacked her forehead.

"That's really useful." She muttered to herself.

"I'm sure Maleficent's got most of the pages." Cid said in a sad voice. He, like the others, wanted the Heartless gone.

Meanwhile, outside of the Small House, the woman with green skin was standing with Riku. Riku was staring in the window with a surprised and betrayed expression. His eyes, however, were on the winged girl. He wondered what exactly she was, but he was unaware that the girl's twin was standing right behind him. Trey was trying with all of his might to communicate with his Keybearer, but he was unable to make a sound.

"You see?" the woman with the green skin said, "It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. And that girl – he's infatuated with her. He cares more about her then he ever did for Kairi." She laughed, trying to convince the silver haired boy that Freya was the cause of all of his problems.

"Evidently, now he values them far more than he does you. You're better off without that wretched boy and his Guardian Angel. Now, think no more of him, and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for..." she trailed off while Trey watched sadly as Riku sighed, following after the green skinned woman.

Back inside the small house, Cid noticed that Sora didn't have the small book anymore.

"So, you delivered that book? That navigation gummi's installed and ready to go. You find another one, you bring it to me. I threw in a warp gummi for the heck of it and I installed a few more rooms on the inside of the ship. I think you'll like them!" he grinned as Freya smiled at the thought of new rooms to explore. Cid handed Sora a Warp-G gummi.

"Now you can jump to worlds you've been to before. Well, better get back to my real job. What's my real job? You'll see. See me at the First District." He said, sitting down at the table. Everyone gathered around and shared a meal together, laughing about stories from the past. Freya couldn't help but think about what was to come, however, and felt like something was going to happen in the near future.

Suddenly, she was brought back into the conversation when Aerith mentioned the bell that rang a while ago.

"I've been thinking about the bell in the Second District." She said, stroking her chin in a contemplative manner.

"That one that rang a bit ago?" the brunette boy asked, cocking his head to the side.

"The one above the gizmo shop. There's a legend about it, you know." Yuffie jumped in, giggling in excitement.

"But it's all boarded up. Nobody can get in there." Aerith continued, giving Sora and Freya a sidelong glance.

"Heck, go check it out. Ring it three times to see if anything happens." Cid threw in. Sora had this look on her face – it was a look that Freya knew well. Sora wanted to go ring the bell. The four of them excused themselves from the small house and Freya, feeling like flying once again, gripped Sora's wrists and carried him up to the top of the gizmo shop.

Sora rang the bell three times and Freya gasped, pointing to a keyhole that appeared on the wall in the courtyard.

"Sora, look!" she exclaimed. She carried him back down after he summoned his Keyblade, but before he could seal the keyhole a large suit of armor intercepted them. It was identical to the Guard Armor that attacked them before!

The giant suit of armor drew back its arm to hit Sora, but Freya was ready for it. As soon as the brunette boy was out of the way, she concentrated on the water in the atmosphere.

"Waterga Rapids!" she exclaimed, forming whips out of the water around her. She sliced at the armor, smirking as it snatched its hand back from the air. She could practically feel the glare the giant Heartless was sending in her direction. She slashed at the armor a couple of more times before sending the water away and summoning her staff.

Sora was gracefully diving every which way and throwing the Keyblade at his target. He would catch it when the blade came back towards him, concentrating on knocking the helmet off of the giant Heartless. Freya would attack it from above and Sora would attack it from below.

Freya noticed that Donald and Goofy were getting beaten up. No matter how many spells Donald threw at the Heartless and no matter how many times he cast cure on himself, he seemed to be running out of steam. She decided that the least she could do was to heal her teammates.

Freya flew as high as she could into the air and let a teardrop fall from her eye. As the teardrop fell, it multiplied into a torrent of rain.

"Teardrops of Mercy!" She half whispered half shouted, letting her magic flow into the water that was raining down on her friends. They seemed to have gained some sort of second wind and one more hit from Sora was all it took for the Heartless to go down.

Freya frowned, but landed in front of Sora, turning to face him. Unfortunately, the Guard Armor wasn't done. It transformed itself, turning its hands into feet, feet into hands, and turning its torso around, transforming into the Opposite Armor.

"Freya, watch out!" Sora gasped, horrified as his Guardian Angel turned too slow. The Opposite Armor struck out with its much heavier foot-turned-hand. Freya turned to face her opponent, but was struck in the chest. It, still being a bit sore from her fight against the Stealth Sneak, cracked under the force of the hit. Blood flew from her lips as she soared back, caught by Sora as he lowered her to the ground, horrified.

"We'll distract him, you help Freya!" Goofy shouted as he and Donald, rejuvenated from the healing teardrops, went back into the battle.

"No, no, no, no, Freya…" Sora moaned in horror as he looked at her battered and bruised form. Her dress was ripped and the side of her staff looked to be dented. Her eyes were closed in pain and her arm was pressed against the side that was injured. Finally, with much difficulty, she opened her eyes.

"What…what're you doing here? Why aren't you fighting the Heartless?" she questioned slowly as if every breath pained her.

"What? You think I'd rather fight then help you?" he questioned in shock.

"You…idiot." She murmured, closing her eyes again. "Goofy and Donald…can't hold out…much longer. You have to fight." She said even slower. Her lips were speckled with blood and he could see the fabric around her injured side darkening as well.

"No, I don't." he protested.

"Yes, you do!" she shouted as best she could through the pain. "If you want to heal me, just end the battle quickly!" she sighed, giving into the pain and collapsing back into Sora's arms.

"Freya!"

"Just go!" she bit out. Sora couldn't argue with her anymore. He felt anger well up from deep inside him and his normally cheerful blue eyes were darkened in rage. He would make sure that nothing was left of the heartless that dared to hurt his Guardian Angel.

A light glow emitted from Sora's frame as he gathered his power together. He slipped his hand into his pocket as he fingered the summoning gem the Fairy Godmother gave him. The brunette boy would need all that he could get from any of his allies. He clutched his heart, willing his power to manifest as smoke surrounded him. A light gathered at the tip of his Keyblade and he thrust it into the air.

"Simba!" he shouted, willing the magnificent lion to come forth. He did so in a mighty fashion, letting Sora pump his power into him. Simba ran straight for the boy and the two merged in a flash of light. Sora flung his Keyblade towards the Heartless' abdomen and a lion shaped beam of light pierced through the metal.

He had taken down the Heartless in one blow.


	16. A Sigh of Relief

**Sorry that this is so short - I got sick somehow and it's not fun. I dunno, it's like a cold or something that I cought from my sister =(**

**Thanks to:**

**Mic Mov - Aww, I'm happy that you were happy with the chapter =)**

**Keysoul - Yup. I'm going to work with him more by putting him in a short seperate story with Riku during the Chain of Memories game.**

**Mysteriousguy898 - Yeah, I think you're right...but I'm going to give him a new keyblade...thing...so Trey can have his own manifestation weapon...sorta like I'm going to have Freya give Sora a keychain for the Keyblade and it'll be an original keyblade.**

**MCRDanime - Aww, thanks for the review!**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**A Sigh of Relief**

* * *

Sora watched with a grim face as the lion made of light turned and pounced on him once again. It morphed and suddenly, the light became thin plates of armor that covered his normal clothing. There were small plates on the back of his gloves, around his shoes, on his arms, and on the sides of his pants that acted like armor. Last, but not least, there was a very thin circlet that he wore on his forehead with a small lion engraved upon it.

When the brunette boy was sure that the Heartless was completely destroyed, he walked to the keyhole with his new armor still intact. He raised his Keyblade and spun it around, finally sending forth his power and sealing the keyhole for the final time. Traverse Town was now safe from the Heartless.

He turned back to look at his friends and found that they were at the fallen Guardian Angel's side. His armor disappeared back into his form as he glowed for a split second. He then rushed toward Freya's fallen form as she smiled up at him.

"Cure!" he exclaimed as he placed his hand on Freya's injured side. The wound glowed for a split second, but it barely healed.

"I…don't think that's going to work…on something like this…" she gasped out, wincing as she took a deep breath.

"Well, then what can we do?" Sora demanded, worrying about his friend. He had seen her injured this badly only once, but the last time her wound was healed with a simple Cure spell.

"Well…you can either learn Cura…or take me to someone who knows it." She said. Obviously, the wound was worse than last time. Sora nodded his head and thought really hard. Who would know Cura? Probably not Leon, Yuffie, or Cid…but what about Aerith? She knew a lot of healing magic. Yeah, Aerith would probably know.

As carefully as he could, he slid his arms underneath his Guardian Angel's body. He froze when she hissed in pain, but he was determined to bring her to Aerith up in the house. It wasn't that far away, but right now it seemed like the Third District was miles away.

Sora winced every time he jostled the red headed girl in his arms. It was awkward – her wings had her in a weird position, but he ended up sliding his arm underneath them and resting it on her back. About twenty moments later, they arrived at the door to the house. Using his foot, he banged on the door, which was opened by a very worried Aerith.

"Oh, my! What happened?" she questioned as she beckoned them inside. She quickly cleared the bed by pushing Yuffie off of it – and scolding the raven haired teenager when she opened her mouth to complain – and went to get some bandages for the wound.

"She was hurt by the giant Heartless." Sora explained as he gently put her down on the bed. He looked on with a sad expression as Aerith wrapped the wound in order to staunch the flow of blood.

"Did you use Cure on her?" Aerith asked with a curious expression. She looked back and forth between the wounded winged girl and the brunette boy.

"I tried, but she said that she needed a stronger spell." He said in a dejected voice. Sora was disappointed in the fact that he couldn't help her. "Do you know anyone who knows Cura?" Sora asked Aerith, desperately hoping that he could help the girl that was in pain.

"Of course. I know Cura – I actually know the level three spell, Curaga, as well…but I think Cura will be fine." Aerith said with a smile. She turned to the girl and gently removed the bandages – they had served their purpose to staunch the flow of blood.

"Cura!" the older brunette woman said, holding her hand over the wound. The woman was surrounded by a bright green light while Freya's wound started to glow softly. The wound healed – the blood stopped oozing and the skin and bones started to graft together once again. As soon as the wound was completely healed, the green light faded away. Freya sat up, looking down at the hole in her dress with a frown.

"Oh gee…that's not revealing at all." She sighed, still not realizing that her short skirt was the most revealing item she was wearing. Sora just smiled widely, happy that she was healthy once again.

"Thanks Aerith." Sora said, giving the older woman a hug.

"You're very welcome. Just don't come here and scare me like that again." Aerith said with a laugh. She shooed them out of the house and turned to Yuffie, who had been silent through the whole ordeal.

"So…" the raven haired teenager drawled, "Who thinks that they're going to end up dating at some point?" she questioned the almost nearly empty room. Leon emerged from the back through the thoroughly hidden doorway.

"Probably, but isn't that up to the two of them to decide?" he questioned in a soft voice.

"Dilly dally, shilly shally!" Aerith chirped, "I think they'll be cute together."

Leon just sighed and pinched his nose. Why was he stuck with these women again?

Outside the house, Freya and Sora turned to look at each other with wide eyes.

"What do you think that was about?" Freya asked with a small blush on her face. The two of them had heard everything that had been said behind the closed door.

"I…don't know." the brunette boy said with a sheepish smile. He scratched the back of his neck, but then he turned to the winged girl.

"Freya…you…you seriously scared me." Sora said, looking at her in the eye.

"Sora, you've only known me for a short time. You shouldn't be so worried about me." Freya said in a small voice, eyes targeting the ground.

"Why? You're my friend, aren't you?" Sora questioned. The word 'friend' echoed in his head like a bad taste in his mouth – he couldn't get rid of it. He wanted to get rid of it.

"Yeah, but I'm your Guardian Angel first and foremost. If I was injured, it was my fault. I wasn't paying enough attention." Freya said, "Your safety is more important to me than my own existence. I was chosen to be a Guardian Angel by the power the Heart Council. I hold the power to protect you…and I will. There is nothing you can do to stop me, Sora."

This made Sora's heart shudder in fear.

"So you'd die just to save me?" the brunette boy asked in horror.

"Haven't we already had a similar conversation before? Yes! I'd die just to save you. It's what I do." Freya said with an exasperated grin, throwing her hands in the air.

"Why?" Sora asked, dreading an answer. Was he just someone she was destined to protect?

"Because we're friends, aren't we?"

Sora blinked. She had just asked him the same question she had answered only moments before.

"Yeah, we are, but that doesn't mean I want you to die for me." Sora quietly said.

"Then…you'll just have to avoid dangerous situations, won't you?" Freya asked with a laugh. Sora looked at her happy face and couldn't help but break out in a grin as well.

"Yeah, I guess so." He said, "Now, let's go see our new ship."


	17. Agrabah Part one

**So, I hope that this is better than I thought it was...'cause I'm still a little out of it. Sorry, guys!**

**mysteriousguy898 - Haha, it kind of means 'don't worry about it' or something along those lines.**

**Elise Ferrel - Um...If I remember correctly, Aerith is the one who said it to Cloud when he was floating in the Life Stream thing. Right before he saw her and Zack...but I might be wrong.**

**Keysoul - Yup, he won't have to worry about that when he learns Cura. =) They can heal each other.**

**Lvl-ZeR0 - Aww, a virtual cookie! Yayness! I'm also glad you like my story =D**

**Anna Shiki - Aww, only 200 munny? lol**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Agrabah Part One**

* * *

The Gummi Ship was even grander than the four friends imagined. Cid looked proudly at his creation as the five of them stood in the cockpit.

"Now, I added a couple of things that I think you'll like. Freya's got her own bathroom, now, on the other side of the master bedroom. Donald and Goofy have a deck to themselves and I added in a library down next to the Observation Deck. There's a Training Room and I expanded the cockpit so that there are four seats." Cid explained as the four of them gaped at the expansions he set up for them. The ship didn't even look any different than before!

"Thanks, Cid!" Freya exclaimed as she hugged the older blond man. The gruff mechanic just scoffed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Aww, it was nothin'." He said as he chewed on his toothpick.

As soon as the group and Cid said their goodbyes, they were on their way to the next world – Agrabah. Donald set their course and Freya decided to explore her new bathroom. It was enormous! There was a large walk-in bathtub – most likely because she had a hard time fitting into a regular one with her wings – and there were several nice smelling soaps and shampoos. This was probably something that either Aerith or Yuffie came up with…then again, it was probably Aerith.

The trip to the new world took less time than the four of them originally thought. It was like they had arrived as quickly as one would snap their fingers. Fortunately for Freya, she was able to quickly take a bath and put on a new dress. It was identical to the others, but at least it didn't have that gaping hole on her side.

Before the four group members disembarked, Freya shivered. She felt a familiar aura in Agrabah. Little did she and the others know, the green skinned woman that was with Riku – Maleficent – was currently talking to one of her minions.

The two of them were walking along the roofs of the marketplace.

"And the Keyhole?" the green skinned woman named Maleficent questioned with a sultry tone to her voice.

"The Heartless are searching for it now," her companion replied. He was wearing black and red robes and he was carrying a staff in the shape of a snake. "I'm certain we will find it soon enough. So that just leaves…"

He was cut off as a fat red parrot landed on his shoulder.

"Jafar!" he cried, addressing the red and black clad man, "I've looked everywhere for Jasmine. She's disappeared like magic." He cried in an increasingly annoying voice.

"The girl is more trouble than she's worth." Jafar hissed as he sent an accusing glare towards the red parrot.

"You said you had things under control." The black clad woman smirked at her companion. Jafar just glared back at her.

"Agrabah is full of holes for rats to hide in." he retorted, "But why worry about Princess Jasmine? With her or without her, surely this world will be ours when we find the Keyhole." He said, dismissing the problem as simple as that.

"We need all seven Princesses of Heart to open the final door." Maleficent said back to him in a calm and deviant voice, "Any fewer is useless." She reminded Jafar.

"Well, if the princess is that important, we'll find her." And as soon as he said that he summoned a couple of Heartless. These looked like the regular soldier heartless except for the fact that they wore turbans and desert garb while they carried wicked blades. "Find Jasmine and bring her to me at once."

The Heartless left to search for Jasmine after Jafar finished his command.

"Don't steep yourself in darkness too long. The Heartless consume the careless." Maleficent warned in a nonchalant manner. Jafar just laughed at the Mistress of Darkness.

"Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary." He said in a sarcastic tone.

Further away, hiding behind a couple of crates and a vendor's stand, was a woman with long black hair. She was wearing a blue silk outfit that looked like it would have belonged to a woman of high stature.

Just moments after Jafar and Maleficent left, Freya and Sora came into view. The red headed girl was panting and sweat covered her forehead.

"Sora, I think we should hurry through this world. The heat is seriously getting to me." she said despite the lack of clothing she wore. It was because of her wings that she was so hot – they stored extra energy, which made her body hotter than normal. As such, she really didn't do too well with the heat.

The brunette teenager looked at her in concern. He had suggested before that they find her a different outfit, but she only shook her head and reminded him that any outfit she wore would just switch back to the one connected with the Keyblade.

"Hey…can I stop for a moment?" Freya questioned as she spotted a couple of crates creating a bit of shade.

"Yea, I think that's a good idea." Sora replied with a smile. They wandered over to the crates, but the winged girl jumped to the alert when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye.

"Who's there?" a high pitched voice said, "Hello?"

Freya, who had summoned her staff, lowered it from its offensive position and looked at the woman in front of her with her eyebrow raised. The woman stood and came out of her hiding spot.

"So…who are you?" Freya asked, feeling a bit faint from the heat. She dismissed her staff and took a seat on one of the crates.

"I'm Jasmine. My father is the sultan of Agrabah." The woman said.

"Uh... So that makes you a Princess." Goofy said in awe. The woman nodded, looking at both Freya and Sora for help.

"But he has been deposed by Jafar, who now controls the city." Freya sighed – what was it and the bad guys of each world? Every world they went to it seemed like the Heartless or some sort of bad guy was hell bent on world domination.

"Jafar?" Goofy questioned as he tilted his head to the side.

"You haven't heard of him?" Jasmine asked in shock. "He's the royal vizier." She explained. Freya frowned – it wasn't like that explained anything. "He's gained evil powers and seized Agrabah. He's desperately looking for something…something he calls the "Keyhole." Jafar caught me trying to escape, but _he_ helped me." Jasmine trailed off with a faraway look in her eyes. Sora saw this and wondered if this was what he looked like when he was thinking of his friends…or Freya.

"Who helped you?" the brunette teenager asked. He sat down beside Freya and started to fan her face. The red headed girl didn't care at the moment – her wings drooped and her head tilted to the side to rest on Sora's shoulder. She could feel her skin cooking and she faintly wondered if Sora's Cure spell would be enough to heal her damaged skin.

"We were hiding nearby, but _he_ left a while ago to take care of something..." Jasmine trailed off in thought, "Oh, I hope Aladdin is all right." But as soon as these words came out of her mouth, they were interrupted by an unwanted guest.

"Aladdin?" Jafar's ugly voice cut into the conversation, "Where might I find this street rat?" he cackled as his body appeared to match the ugly voice.

"Jasmine, allow me to find you more suitable company, my dear Princess. These little rats won't do, you see." Freya's senses were kicking into high gear again. She jumped up and summoned her staff once again. Her head was swimming due to the heat, but her battle senses and pure adrenaline kept her from passing out completely. She held a hand in front of her and summoned a fragment of her icy powers to cool off her skin. Freya shook her head – why hadn't she thought of that sooner? Oh, yeah! The sun had been busy frying her brain. She did the same to Sora and the others and smiled when they let out sighs of relief.

"Jasmine, run!" Sora ordered. They tensed when the Princess ran past them and the four friends readied their weapons against Jafar.

"Ah, the boy who holds the key." Jafar sneered at Sora before eying the winged girl with interest. After all, Maleficent had hinted at her backup plan to open the final door. Jafar disappeared and within the hour – because the heat was making everyone sluggish – all of the heartless Jafar summoned were taken care of.

Sora noticed a pole sticking out into the Bazaar. He pointed it out to everyone and they agreed to climb it, if only to get out of the heat. It turned out to be someone's house and, however bad they felt about breaking and entering, they felt so much better when out of the heat.

Suddenly, a drawer in the corner of the room started to move. After Freya's initial cry of surprise, Sora crept over to it. After all, what harm could come from a moving carpet? Sora and the other two males pushed the drawer that the carpet was stuck underneath and it flew away.

"Aww…" Freya said. She wanted to at least touch it.

"The carpet flew off toward the desert. Let's follow it, Sora!" Donald exclaimed, pointing to the window. The four of them proceeded to the Desert where the carpet was hovering over the sand.

"It wants us to come along?" Donald questioned.

"All aboard." The brunette teenager said. Freya twitched her wings, feeling the heat seep into her skin once again and sighed. She was startled when a hand shoved itself into her line of sight.

"You coming, Freya?" Sora asked with a smile on his face. The fiery haired girl's eyes widened before her face broke into a smile.

"Yeah." She said and let Sora help her onto the carpet. She wrapped her arms around Sora's waist and then…they were off.


	18. Agrabah Part Two

**Haha I'm so evil, aren't I?**

**Vote on my poll, guys! Kakashi and Shikamaru are tied for first place =P (My personal faves are Haku, Lee, Iruka, and Chouji...so it's hard for me to decide!)**

**Thanks to:**

**Anna Shiki - Haha 500 munny still isnt a lot *wink wink***

**Lvl-ZeR0 - w00t a doughnut! Yay for cyber snacks. Thanks for the review =D**

**Elise Ferrel - Yeah, I have to watch the movie again. Thanks for the review**

**Keysoul - I think Sora has feelings for Freya, too.**

**mysteriousguy898 - Um...Cid's weird like that. Maybe Freya can give him a new harpoon or something? lol**

**mysterygirl123 - Aww, thanks for the review!**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Agrabah Part Two**

* * *

"It's hot!" the loud squawk of Donald's voice echoed through the air. Freya didn't know how much more she could take. Of course it was hot, but she had stopped complaining, hadn't she? The fiery haired girl sent a wave of ice towards the duck, purposely freezing the feathers of his tail. Donald squawked in annoyance, but the other three members of the group just laughed.

Within the hour they were taken to a medium sized hole of quicksand. An older teenager was stuck in the middle, struggling to get out.

"Oh no!" Freya gasped as they sprinted towards the man. Before they could rescue him, however, a large group of Heartless got in their way. Sora and the winged girl looked to each other and nodded, summoned their respective weapons with a grin, and went at it.

Although defeating the Heartless was an easy job, there were so many of them it seemed like a sea of never ending blackness. As soon as one of them defeated a Heartless, another one appeared.

"Gawrsh, not again!" Goofy called as he smacked a Heartless away from Donald with his shield. The magic using duck cast spell after spell while Freya spun her staff around to destroy three heartless at once. She and Sora were back to back, spinning around to help each other when they needed it.

As soon as they thought they defeated all of the dark figures, more Heartless appeared. The man, who they assumed was Aladdin, managed to free himself from the quicksand. He took out a lamp and started to rub it.

"Genie, get rid of these guys!" he yelped as a giant blue figure emerged in a colorful puff of smoke. He then started to act a little goofy while grinning down at all of them.

"Wish Number One, coming right up!" the Genie exclaimed, snapping his fingers. The Heartless were gone in another puff of colorful smoke and sparkles. Freya giggled in delight – she had never seen something like this before – and watched as the Genie continued to perform more tricks for her. While this was happening, Sora told the dark haired older teenager what was going on. When he was done, he turned to see the Genie handing Freya a flower. His mouth set into a frown as the winged girl giggled.

He was pulled back into the conversation when Aladdin responded to his explanation.

"I see... Thanks, Sora." He said. Sora kept his frown on his face as he asked Aladdin what he was doing out in the desert.

"Aladdin, what're you doing out here?" the brunette teenager asked him.

"Same old stuff. Hunting legendary treasure." The dark haired older teenager boasted, "Just paid a visit to the Cave of Wonders. I found that magic carpet, and this lamp." He said, noticing how Sora kept glancing at Freya and the Genie, "Legend has it that whoever holds the lamp summon the…" he was cut off by the giant blue figure.

"Please, kid, leave the intros to a professional." He said, bowing down and making the winged girl burst out in a bout of loud laughter once again. "The one and only GENIE OF THE LAMP!" the Genie exclaimed with more of his sparkles and colored mist. "Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted. Today's winner is...Aladdin! Congratulations!" he exclaimed, but instead of laughing Freya's eyes darkened.

The winged girl thought about what she would do if she had at least one wish. She would probably wish that Riku would be free of the darkness. That way one of Sora's wishes would come true as well. Then, as a result of Riku being free from the darkness, Trey would finally be able to materialize.

"Any wish?" Donald asked, looking up at the Genie with a curious expression.

"Patience, my fine, feathered friend!" The Genie said as before he split into three separate bodies and holding up three fingers for each body, "Any three wishes! A one wish, a two wish, a three wish. Then I make like a banana and split!" the Genie exclaimed with a happy grin, "Our lucky winner made his first wish—and let me tell you, what a doozie that wish was—so he has two left." He echoed. Then, he turned his sights on Aladdin, "So, master, what'll you have for Wish Number Two?"

A light appeared on Aladdin, making him shine against the desert light.

"Hmm, how about making me a fabulously wealthy prince?"

"Ooh, he's smart." Freya said, nodding her head appreciatively. He wished for three things in one wish. Sora glanced between Freya and Aladdin, admitting to himself that he felt jealous. But Freya knew that Aladdin had Jasmine, so he wouldn't go for Freya, right? He didn't have to worry, right?

"Oooh!" The Genie squealed, "Money! Royalty! Fame! Why didn't I think of that? Okay, you asked for it! A hundred servants and a hundred camels loaded with gold! Just say the word and I'll deliver it in thirty minutes or less, or your meal's free. Hey, I'll even throw in a cappuccino! Okay." He sighed and batted his eyelashes in a hilarious manner causing Freya to burst out in giggles once again.

"I think I'll put that on hold until we reach Agrabah." Aladdin said, waving his hands in the air.

"Uh, why a prince?" Goofy questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"You see, there's this girl in Agrabah named Jasmine. But she's a princess, and I'm... Aw, she could never fall for a guy like me." the older teenager said in a depressed manner. He shrugged his shoulders and then slouched down, letting out a depressed sigh of air.

"Oh." Donald said before adding, "Princess?"

"Jasmine?" Goofy added.

"Oh no! Sora!" Freya exclaimed, twitching her wings in a distressed manner.

"Oh, that's right! She's in trouble, Aladdin!" Sora exclaimed, eyes widening in shock as he remembered that Jafar character that had been looking for Jasmine.

"What?" Aladdin said in horror, "Well, c'mon, let's get going!"

And with that Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin leapt onto the carpet, but there was no room for Freya. She frowned, but flapped her wings in the sweltering heat anyway. Sora looked at her, extremely concerned and guilty about riding the carpet when she had to exert energy to keep flying, but they were soon off.

"Ah, fresh air! The great outdoors!" the Genie exclaimed, grabbing the winged girl and setting her on his back. She squeaked out of shock, but then smiled widely, happy that she didn't have to fly the entire way back to Agrabah.

"I guess you don't get out much, huh?" Sora questioned, feeling jealous of the Genie. He wanted to be the one to make her laugh like that.

"Comes with the job." The Genie shrugged, "Phenomenal cosmic powers. Itty-bitty living space. It's always three wishes, then back to my portable prison. I'm lucky to see the

light of day every century or two..." he trailed off with a sigh. Freya looked down at him with a frown.

"That doesn't seem very fair. It kinda seems like what happened to me except for the fact that I only have one Master, which is Sora." Sora's face turned a deep shade of red when he heard her call him her Master.

"I'm not your Master. I'm your friend." Was all that he said despite the hot feeling coursing through his veins.

"Say, Genie, what if I use my last wish to free you from the lamp? What do you think?" Aladdin asked, raising his eyebrow. The Genie, of course, thought this was a great idea.

"You'd do that?" He asked Aladdin in an excited voice.

"Genie, it's a promise. After we help Jasmine." Aladdin nodded his head, confirming the promise that he made with the Genie.

Less than an hour later, the group made it back to the house they found the Carpet in. The house actually belonged to Aladdin. In there, the group talked about the Heartless and what was going to happen next.

"So, Jafar is after Jasmine and this "Keyhole"." Aladdin mused, rubbing his chin in thought. It all seemed a little farfetched to him, but he had seen the dark creatures himself when he was stuck in the quicksand.

"Keyhole, eh? I could swear I've heard about that somewhere before..." the Genie said, thinking really hard about it.

"Really? Where?" Donald questioned, tapping his foot. The quicker the Genie remembered, the quicker he could get out of the hot world. Freya, who seemed to notice Donald's once again rising temper, decided to cool him off again by freezing his tail feathers together.

"Now, where was it? It's only been two hundred years..." the Genie sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, anyway, we've got to stop Jafar before it's too late." The brunette boy declared, a fierce gaze in his normally calm eyes.

Everyone nodded and exited the house. Freya flew up high, trying to spot Jasmine, and gasped in shock as she saw that the Princess was in the clutches of Jafar.

"Sora! Aladdin!" she shouted down to the two of them, drawing Jafar's attention to her. He sent a ball of energy her way, frowning when she dodged it. She summoned her staff and threw it at him, but he just deflected it right back at her.

Sora and the others were next to her in an instant – she landed right after she caught her staff once again. Freya had a frown set into her face as she stared at Jafar.

"Don't worry, girl. I won't harm you, too much. Maleficent has plans for you." Jafar said before turning to the others. "Settings your sights a little high, aren't you, boy? Back to your hole, street rat. I will not allow you to trouble the Princess anymore." He sighed, pulling the Princes away from the others.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin yelled, angered that Jafar had taken her captive.

"I'm so sorry, Aladdin." She said in a soft, teary voice. Aladdin, who was holding the lamp behind his back, decided to use his second wish. He rubbed it, willing the Genie to appear.

"Genie, help Jasmine. Please!" he exclaimed as the Genie appeared in front of them. He picked up Jasmine and started to float over to Sora's group.

"One wish left! You're making this really easy, you know." he said to the dark haired older teenager.

"So sorry, boy. I'm afraid your second wish has been denied." Jafar sneered as his bird, Iago, secretly snatched the lamp from behind Aladdin's back. Everyone had been so intent on Jasmine's safety, they hadn't seen the bird coming. The Genie had no choice but to obey the new owner of the lamp.

"I'm sorry, Al." Genie said, slumping his shoulders. Freya could tell that he really didn't want to do what Jafar said, but he had no other choice. Genie disappeared and dropped Jasmine inside of a pot. Then the pot appeared as a Heartless. As everyone was worrying about Jasmine, Jafar appeared behind Freya and wrapped his arms around her waist. She screamed and Sora's eyes widened in fear for her.

"And now, I bid you all farewell. Attack!" he said, disappearing with the winged girl.

"No! Freya!" Sora screamed. His anger took over his emotions and his eyes dilated heavily. He needed to get to her as soon as possible. The brunette boy barely let the others attack as he made mince meat out of the Pot Centipede. He destroyed all of the jars with one swing, jumping and flipping to land on top of the Centipede's head, and stabbed it with his Keyblade. The power within him pulsed and the strange armor that appeared back in Traverse Town started to glow around him. The armor concentrated itself into a small ball, forcing the Centipede to disintegrate. The fight was over in a matter of moments.

When it was over, Sora saw something flashing on the ground. It was a small bangle called the Ray of Light. The brunette boy pocketed it, deciding on giving it to Freya when he found her. He would find her and Jafar would pay.


	19. Agrabah Part Three

**Woot! Agrabah is over and next comes a very tender moment. =P**

**Vote on my poll! You know you want me to know who your favorite male Naruto character is. XD**

**Thanks to:**

**Keysoul - Hm...you may be right...I'll think about creating some joint techniques - but I did create a smaller version with Goofy and Sora in this chapter! =D**

**Lvl-ZeR0 - Huh, I dunno. I know I'd probably faint from the heat or something. Lol! Well, I shall return your imaginary hug.**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - Well, the reveal of the plans didnt really work the way I wanted it to, so I'm going to have a really sad purpose for her later on...in Hollow Bastion...Hint hint.**

**mysteriousguy898 - Um...I think this is the only time she's been kidnapped, actually...unless I'm wrong and sometimes I am lol - I'm a bit scatterbrained, but I hope she lived up to your expectations in kicking Jafar's ass...before he turned into a Genie that is.**

**Mic Mov - Aww, thanks for the review!**

**Anna Shiki - Hm...maybe enough for a couple of Mega-Potions and a Tent or two? lol**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Agrabah Part Three**

* * *

Sora's anger still coursed through his veins as his eyes narrowed, searching for any clue as to where his Guardian Angel may be. Jafar would be _dead_ when he got his hands on him. This is something he vowed on the power of his Keyblade.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin exclaimed, looking around and through the pots that were around the general vicinity. It seemed like Jasmine had disappeared along with the fiery haired winged girl. All of a sudden, Jafar's evil laugh echoed across the desert. The four males looked at each other, determination set into their faces.

"To the desert! Come on, let's move!" Aladdin exclaimed. Sora nodded his head and set his mouth into a determined frown. That light glow was still surrounding Sora's frame as he followed the dark haired older teen. They proceeded to the desert while riding the magic Carpet, reaching the area that they found Aladdin in the first place. All was quiet until the sand literally exploded with Heartless.

Sora and the others fought ferociously and the shining outline around Sora's body grew brighter until he was encased in the same armor as before. He grew angrier, but by the time all of the Heartless were defeated, a giant panther head emerged from the ground. It was the Cave of Wonders Guardian. Sora didn't have time for this. He saw that the eyes of the Guardian, which were glowing white, were attacking his friends and so he developed a plan of attack.

"Goofy!" he called his friend over towards him, whispering his plan to the Knight. Goofy nodded his head and held up his shield as if to protect his head from falling objects. Sora backed up and took a running start towards the shield and, just as he was about to land on the cold, hard, object, Goofy thrust him upward and onto the nose of the Guardian. Sora concentrated his power and released a great slash of white energy into the Guardian's eyes. He roared, but he wasn't done yet. The Guardian shook his head, trying to get rid of the brunette boy, but Sora just kept hacking and slashing his way through the shining objects. Eventually, the pain became too great and the Cave of Wonders Guardian was defeated.

Sora jumped off of the Guardian's head, landing in front of three very impressed males.

"Wow, Sora." Donald squeaked as he stared at the determined brunette boy. Sora barely looked back at the others before he stared at the way ahead of him.

"Let's go."

Meanwhile, Freya had managed to struggle out of the bonds Jafar had put her in. She couldn't believe that she had gotten kidnapped! Well, at least it was her and not Sora, but she couldn't help but worry about them. Jafar sneered at her once he realized that she had escaped her bindings. At least the ugly Vizier couldn't take her staff from her.

"Why does Maleficent want me?" Freya questioned, eyes narrowing as she growled at the man in red in black. So help her, Freya would _not_ be a damsel in distress this time around. She was a Guardian Angel! She was stronger than this!

"Well, seeing as your little boy toy won't be here soon, I might as well tell you. He will fall by my hand, anyway." Jafar laughed as he floated up. The fiery haired girl glowered at him, flaring her wings and taking off into the sky. She hovered in front of the Vizier and summoned her staff. The end of the staff morphed into a blade and she placed the blade on the exposed skin of Jafar's face.

"Tell me." Freya growled.

"Now, now. No need to get aggressive."

"I'd say that this is the perfect time to get aggressive." The fiery haired girl hissed, eyes narrowing even further. "Now tell me what I want to know."

The Vizier smirked, waving his hand and summoning his snake headed staff.

"Maleficent wants the power of the Princesses of Heart, but the power of a Guardian Angel is twice as strong. You, my dear, are directly connected to the boy's Keyblade and so you can open the door by just wishing it." Jafar said nonchalantly, "You are pure of heart. Maleficent wants this power to dive deep into the worlds' hearts and, by association, the people of every world."

"And you think I'm just going to let you do that?" Freya gasped with wide eyes. She raised her bladed staff as Jafar suddenly sent an attack her way. Freya easily swept the bolt of magic aside and concentrated on her attack.

"Torrent Dream!" she shouted, disappearing and reappearing underneath Jafar. She swept her bladed staff upward and knocked him even higher into the air. She beat her wings, racing upward and pierced a piece of his armored shoulder pads on her blade. Twisting around, Freya held Jafar in front of her as she spiraled downward. At the last second she flared her wings, letting Jafar go so he was the one who hit the ground.

Freya wasn't done yet.

"Noble Dragon Star!" She swept her bladed staff to the side, closing her eyes and concentrating the power bestowed upon her by the Keyblade. She started to glow a silvery white color and a small orb formed at the end of her blade. She twirled the staff around in a circle before flinging it to the side. As soon as the staff stopped moving, a beam of light shot from the blade. It formed the shape of a dragon and it circled the room once before slamming full force into the red robed figure struggling to get up.

And Freya had one more trick up her sleeve.

"Falling Stars." She sighed as she summoned the last of her energy. It was, however, quite a bit of energy. Freya flared her wings out to the side and the room became dark. The silvery white outlining expanded and broke into several small pieces – now they looked like stars against a dark sky. One by one the small pieces of energy fell, gathering energy and force as they hit the red and black clad man.

As the last of her energy left her, she sank to the floor next to an unconscious Jasmine. She stood in front of the unconscious Princess with her bladed staff crossed horizontally in front of her. As she went to kneel, Jafar stirred – Freya's eyes widened in disbelief, but she couldn't worry about that for now.

Jafar held up the lamp and rubbed it saying "My first wish, Genie! Show me the Keyhole!" and the blue Genie had no choice but to obey. Freya made to stand again, but a hand on her shoulder surprised her. She whirled around, eyes widening again when she saw Maleficent. The fiery haired girl cursed – she shouldn't have used all of her energy on Jafar.

"That boy again?" Maleficent questioned, asking about Sora.

"He's more persistent than I expected." The man swathed in the red and black robes replied, "Why not explain the situation to that boy Riku? Doing so may actually prove useful to our…" he trailed off as Sora arrived at the scene.

"Freya!" Sora exclaimed, eyes narrowing as he saw the other woman's hand on her shoulder.

"Wait a second. Are you Maleficent?" Sora questioned as he glared at her. Maleficent looked down at the boy and then disappeared without a word.

"Jafar, let the girls go!" Aladdin growled, clenching his fist in anger. Jafar was standing in between the girls and the boys.

"Not a chance." The evil Vizier sneered at them, "You see, Jasmine is a princess—one of seven who somehow hold the key to opening the door." He explained with another sneer.

"Open..." Goofy started in confusion.

"...the door?" Donald finished, just as confused as his Knight counterpart.

"And the Guardian Angel holds the power of the Keyblade – a power Maleficent wants…but you fools won't live to see what lies beyond the door." He then turned to address the Genie, "Genie! My second wish. Crush them!"

"Sora!" Freya screamed as a light barrier separated her from the others. She pounded on the light barrier, but there was no use. She couldn't get through.

"Genie, no!" Aladdin shouted, not believing that the Genie would work against him.

"Sorry, Al. The one with the lamp calls the shots. I don't have a choice." The giant blue being said, slumping forward, but, surprisingly, the battle wasn't all that long.

"Curse you, girl!" he screamed at the winged girl who had weakened him. Sora didn't care how he got so weak, he struck the Vizier with as much force as he was able to and the ground collapsed underneath the red and black clothed man. A blue orb escaped the wreckage and melted into Sora's outstretched hand, upgrading his Blizzard magic to Blizzara.

After Jafar was taken care of, Sora ran towards Freya, who had stumbled forward after the light barrier was released. The two embraced like they never had before and Freya placed a kiss on her brunette teen's forehead. The truth was she would liked to have kissed him somewhere else, but her job prohibited her from forming attachments to the Keybearer. She laid her head on his shoulder and he rested his chin on the top of her head and they just stood there, embracing each other, until a familiar voice broke their happy reunion.

"Doesn't he ever just _die_? I've already used three huge techniques on him!" Freya exclaimed angrily. She stayed where she was, however, and kept her face buried under Sora's chin.

"Genie! My final wish! I want you to make me an all-powerful genie!" and Freya let out an angry puff of breath. Genie, who could barely stand what he was about to do, turned Jafar into a Genie.

"Whose gonna jump first?" Freya questioned and when nobody said anything she let out another sigh. She pulled back from Sora and took his hand in hers. He tightened his grip, realizing for the first time that he had been really scared. He was even more scared than when she was injured for the second time. This girl was important to him and he really thought that he would never see her again.

It was then that Sora realized that he had feelings for the girl. A pained expression entered his gaze. What would happen to Freya when the quest was over?

The two of them, plus Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin, jumped down the hole and they were met with a giant red Genie version of Jafar.

"The lamp! Get Jafar's lamp!" Aladdin cried as they dodged the giant boulders that Jafar was sending their way. Freya frowned – she had to figure out a way to defeat him for good this time. She stopped after dodging a falling boulder and realized that he was surrounded by fire. Her ice technique could be melted, but water was strong against fire.

"Sora, get the lamp! I'll cover you!" she cried out and, even though Sora desperately didn't want to leave her, but the look in her eye told him that she had a plan.

"Waterga Rapids!" she exclaimed taking the little bit of water that was in the air with the rest of her energy, and lashing out with her water whips. She managed to hit Jafar in the face and he reared back, giving Sora the chance to find the lamp and attack it.

"Okay, Jafar! Back to your lamp!" the brunette boy exclaimed as he held it up towards the red Genie. The red being was sucked into the lamp and a red orb was absorbed into Sora's hand. His Fire spell was upgraded to Fira and a piece of paper materialized in front of him. It was the first page of Ansem's Report.

Freya turned to smile at Sora but when she took a step forward she stumbled. The brunette teenager rushed forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I-I'm fine." She stuttered, blinking wearily up at him. The brunette teenager shook his head and swung her up into his arms, careful of her wings. With the Genie's help, they managed to make it back into the former chamber.

"Jasmine? Jasmine!" Aladdin exclaimed, looking around for her…but she was nowhere to be seen. Someone must have taken her. The Keyhole started to shine and Sora, setting Freya down and only using one hand, shot a beam to the Keyhole. He locked it forever from the dark powers of the Heartless. Then, suddenly, the area was shaking.

"Whoa, we'd better get out of here!" Goofy said, protecting himself with his shield. This time, Sora was taking no chances with the Genie and was determined to carry the girl himself.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin screamed. Donald and Goofy restrained Aladdin so that he stayed on the crowded Carpet and he wouldn't get behind. The Carpet took them out of the Cave of Wonders and back to Agrabah, dropping them off in Aladdin's house.

"So, Jasmine's no longer in Agrabah. Sora, let's go find her." Aladdin said, determination lacing his voice. He wanted to find his Princess.

"Sorry. I can't take you with me." Sora said from his position on the floor. Freya was sitting across his lap with her head on his shoulder. She was beyond exhausted from her fight with Jafar, but she was awake.

"Wh-Why not?" the older teenager asked, quite distraught.

"It's not like we want to leave you here…" Freya struggled to say.

"I sure wish we could..." Goofy added in.

"But we can't. If we take him to another world, we would be..." Donald trailed off.

"Muh... Mudd…" Goofy tried to say.

"Meddling!" Donald exclaimed. Freya looked up to Sora with sad eyes and he nodded to her.

"Aladdin, we'll find Jasmine. I promise." The brunette teenager said with conviction. That was when the Genie interrupted.

"Uh, earth to Al. Hello?" he said, waving his hand at Aladdin, "You still have one wish left. Look, just say the word. Ask me to find Jasmine for you." It looked like Aladdin was seriously considering it for a moment, but he sighed and made his wish.

"I...I wish... ...for your freedom, Genie." He said, nodding as he made his decision. Genie's legs formed and his cuffs disappeared from his wrists. The Genie was now a free being.

"A deal's a deal, Genie. Now, you can go anywhere you want. You're your own master. But if you can, it'd be great if you could go along with them and help Sora and Freya find Jasmine." Aladdin said, smiling sadly down at the two of them.

"Hmm. Sorry, Al. I'm done taking orders from others." He said, turning his back on everyone, "But... A favor, now that's entirely different. I guess I could give that a try. After all, we're pals, right, Al?"

"Genie..." Aladdin said with a relieved smile on his face.

"Just leave it to me!" the Genie said.

The four of them got ready to go – Genie had poofed away somewhere – but Aladdin called Sora back for some reason.

"I wanted to give you this." He said, revealing a keychain for Sora's Keyblade. Sora nodded and clipped the keychain on, transforming the Keyblade into the Three Wishes. Almost immediately Freya's outfit changed.

In a flash of light her dress changed. Her dress was now pale gold and the skirt went down to the middle of her thighs. There were two skirts actually and both of them had ruffles. There was a black bow forming under the bust and black crisscrossing straps held the dress up in the back. There were loose off the shoulder sleeves that covered her hands with black ribbons dangling from them. She wore dark gold knee high boots and lacy hand gloves. The same ribbons were on her neck and wrists while her hair was now up in a delicate twisted bun, excess braid hanging over her shoulder.

Sora smiled at her delighted expression. She must have liked the dress, but in Sora's mind anything made the fiery haired girl beautiful.


	20. Concern of the Dark

**I'm sorry this is so late!**

**Look at the bottom of my profile to choose your fav character out of the giant list. I'll then dedicate the story to the first person who messages me with their favorite character!**

**Thanks to:**

**Anna Shiki - lol I won't buy much...I promise!**

**Keysoul - Well, I can't promise that. I have something big planned for her...**

**Lvl-ZeR0 - *HUG* I might adopt you as another human hug-toy along with my other hug-toy, Alpenwolf XD. I'm glad you like the plotline so far and, yeah, too bad Jafar couldn't get mauled totally.**

**mysteriousguy898 - lol I'm glad you liked the attacks. The armor is kind of like a manifestation of his heart's power. It's like the outline of power that Freya had. I'm not sure if I'll give him completly solid armor, but it's a possibility. **

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - Yeah, a sad purpose. lol and It's supposed to be sad. **

**mysterygirl123 - I know right! He kind of admits it to her in this chapter, but it's not a full fledged confession yet.**

**Shadow 1n2 - Here's the next update for you!**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Concern of the Dark**

* * *

Donald and Goofy shared a look as they entered the Gummy Ship. They were concerned about Freya's current condition, but they were also concerned for Sora. His state of mind when the winged girl had been kidnapped was one that they didn't want to experience ever again.

Sora on the other hand was in an eerily calm mood. He looked down at the girl in his arms as he made his way to their shared room. The bed was bigger than before, so what he had in mind was going to be easier. Freya didn't say anything as he arranged them so that he was lying on his back and she was on her side, resting her head on his chest. He had removed their shoes when they had gotten on the bed so they weren't hindering them.

It was silent for a good half hour. The only sounds echoing through it were their breaths. Despite her weariness, the red haired girl was not going to sleep any time soon. Sora's fingers were tangled in her hair and she had a small smile on her face. Suddenly, he looked down at her, searching her face for some sort of emotion.

"Freya…" he whispered to her before tightening his grip around her, "I was really scared." He admitted before he buried his face into her hair. Freya tensed before moving so that her arms were around his waist.

"I was scared, too, Sora. I was afraid that you would get hurt and I wouldn't be there to help you." She said just as quietly as he did. The brunette boy tightened his grip even further, hugging her to him as if he was reassuring himself that she wasn't going to disappear.

"I…" he trailed off, realizing that even though he cared for her greatly, he didn't know the extent of his feelings. What if she didn't care for him in the same way? What would happen to them if he admitted his feelings? He couldn't take it if she were to disappear from him. He was already changing – his heart was becoming stronger just because she was there with him. He was no longer the shy kid he was so long ago. Now, he was a strong teenager. He was still happy-go-lucky most of the time, but he was a stronger person on the inside.

"You?" Freya whispered, looking up. Curiosity laced through her eyes and Sora visibly gulped. Thinking quickly, he changed the words of his confession.

"I care for you…a lot." He said with a blush on his face. Freya didn't blush for once. Instead, a small smile slowly formed on her lips. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"I care for you, too, Sora." She whispered a she reached up to brush some of his bangs out of his face. He smiled back at her, heart lifting with her words. As they admitted just the barest hint of their feelings towards one another, the two of them drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile, Maleficent, Hades, and Riku were having a conversation in a shadow filled room. They stood in a circle, the green skinned woman and the blue skinned man towering over Riku.

"That smarmy vizier could've had 'em…if someone had stuck around to give him a hand. But, he did get his butt kicked by that girl, though. She is quite the looker." The blue skinned man sneered in thought. His pointed teeth protruded from his mouth as he hissed in thought.

"Hey, I did my part." The silver haired teenager protested, angry that the winged girl was so powerful. "I brought the princess, didn't I?"

In truth, he was sorely jealous of Sora. He had the keyblade, but he also had a beautiful Guardian Angel to call his own. He wanted the keyblade and, more importantly, he wanted Freya. He didn't believe her when she said her brother was with him. Riku couldn't see him even though the male Guardian Angel was standing right beside him. Trey was still transparent – he couldn't use his true power or phase into his true form until Riku formed his keyblade. It wouldn't work if Riku kept using the one made of the Princess' hearts. It was swarmed in darkness while Trey was a being of light.

"Jafar was beyond help, consumed by his own hatred." The green skinned woman said in a calm and collected voice, "One should beware of letting it burn too fiercely." She said in a condescending tone.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lighten up. I'm as cool as they come, okay?" Hades said, trying to act coo. He then turned to the silver haired teenager, "By the way, kid, have we got something special for you."

Riku scowled at the blue skinned man, not exactly trusting him. He didn't trust any of the people in the room as far as he could throw them.

"Huh?" the silver haired teenager all but demanded.

"We had a deal, yes? You helped us, and we grant you your wish..." Maleficent trailed off as she smirked towards the silver haired teenager. She waved a hand towards the only piece of furniture in the room. An image of a familiar red headed teenage girl appeared – she was laying down unconscious. Riku jerked forward, alarmed at the picture of his friend.

"Kairi!" he exclaimed before almost literally growling at the others.

"Go to her. Your vessel is waiting." The woman said, still staring at the teenager through slitted eyes. Then, a man with long curly black hair and who was dressed in a red coat appeared. His name was Captain Hook.

"Just remember, this is no pleasure cruise." The pirate captain said in a cold voice, "It won't be a pleasant voyage."

Riku glared at everyone with a suspicious look. "Why are you doing all this for me? What's the catch?"

"Catch? What's the catch?" Maleficent questioned, "Silly boy. You're like a son to me. I only

want you to be happy." She smirked. Maleficent gently touched Riku's face, but the silver haired teenager roughly shoved her hand away.

"I seriously doubt that." He huffed.

"Believe what you wish." The woman tutted, "But lest we forget, I kept my end of the bargain."


	21. Monstro Part One

**Okay, so chapter 21 should be up by Sunday night, okay? I'm typing so much for my stories that my hands are really starting to hurt so I have to be careful that I don't develop Carpel Tunnel. **

**Thanks to:**

**Shadow 1n2 - I know, right? I want to develop their relationship a bit, but then once COM hits, it degresses again. **

**Mysteriousguy898 - lol okay, I think I might change what I told you in the PM just a little bit, but you'll see. **

**Keysoul - I think I already answered all of your questions =)**

**Anna Shiki - Haha you can keep Roxy. My favorite KH character is probably Demyx lol 'Run, Run away!' **

**Lvl-ZeR0 - well, yeah, I have school stuff and other stories and things...sorry. As for the human hug toy...I actually do that in real life, too. A few of my friends are sufferers of that lol Every time I see them I have to hug them at least four times =P I'm a weird woman, I will tell you that. **

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

**Monstro Part One**

* * *

A couple of hours later, the two of them woke from their slumber. Freya looked up at Sora with a sad expression, heart heavy. He looked down at her, eyes sad just because he could tell that Freya was in a low mood. He had an urge to bring a smile to her face, no matter what, but he was also afraid that he would eventually go too far despite her reassurances that she held at least some feelings for him.

Suddenly, the ship rocked and a loud keening noise echoed through the corridors. Freya looked up, the sadness turned to curiosity as she gave her curiosity a voice.

"What was that?" she questioned, but the brunette teenager didn't have an answer for her. He helped her from the bed, a small smile on his face as he watched her stretch, and the two of them made their way to the cockpit. Sora was sad that Freya now had her own seat, courtesy of Cid, but he didn't want her to feel too awkward.

The four of them looked out the windows, appreciating the beauty of space while keeping a watch for whatever made that weird noise. While they travelled, a giant blue whale soared over the ship. Freya gasped, pressing her nose up against the glass as she tried to peer up at the whale once again.

"What is that?" Donald questioned, barely restraining himself from pressing himself up against the glass as well.

"Wow," Sora exclaimed, "It's huge!"

The whale made another pass at the ship, keening that awful cry once again. Freya's astonished face fell into a concerned frown.

"I don't think it's very happy." She warned them, backing away from the window before something caused the ship to shudder once again.

"It's a giant whale!" Goofy shouted, pointing at the whale in an obvious manner.

"Well done, Captain Obvious." She murmured as she stared at the whale. Suddenly, she had a very bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. The whale went past the ship, coming dangerously close to it. It was as if the whale was inspecting to see if it was edible. Freya had a shudder forming down her shoulders. She gave into it, gasping in surprise as Sora wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her to him, careful of her wings, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"It's Monstro!" Jiminy cried, showing himself for the first time in a long time. "He's a whale of a whale, and vicious besides!"

The bad feeling intensified as she noticed that the whale had turned towards them. The whale opened its large mouth, showing them several sharp teeth despite the type of whale he was.

"Whoa, Sora, get us out of here!" Donald cried, shoving the controls at the brunette teenager despite the fact that he was holding onto Freya. The girl whimpered as the whale grew closer.

"Too late!" Sora cried back as a sudden flashing siren started to emit from the security system. It was trying to warn them of the impending danger, but it was too late for that.

"He's going to swallow us!" Freya cried as she turned around in the teenager's arms, pressing her face against his chest. His arms lowered just the slightest bit and she concentrated her power, flaring her wings out so that they glowed as they wrapped around the brunette teenager.

"Wha…? Freya stop it!" he cried, realizing that she was using the Anima Shield even though she didn't say anything aloud. She only shook her head, burying her face deeper into his chest as he tightened his hold around her waist. He gave up, burying his face into her hair as a tear rolled down his cheek.

She would get hurt because of him.

Monstro swallowed them along with the ship and everything went dark.

_Sora started to dream as soon as he was knocked unconscious. It wasn't a dream, but more like a memory, and Freya once again watched it as if it were a movie. This time, however, all three of them were children. It seemed like whatever age Sora was, Freya was as well. _

_Sora was a young boy. He was even cuter than the form of the young Riku. The child form of Freya giggled, but then huffed when she realized that she was wearing the pale green dress that her mother made her wear when she was a child. It had a collar attached to the front of the dress to keep it up, but it had a low cut back to make room for her wings. It was knee length with a small black sash on the side. She wore no shoes and her hair was wavy and went down to her shoulders. _

"_It's true!" a cute young Sora exclaimed, "I saw it with my own eyes!"_

_Freya smiled, thinking that the young Sora was almost as cute as the teenaged Sora. _

"_You sure you didn't just hear it this time?" the young silver haired boy question. Freya couldn't help but think that the shirt he was wearing didn't go well with his bright greenish aqua eyes. _

"_What difference does it make?" the young Sora questioned roughly, "There's a huge monster in there, I tell you!" the winged girl also couldn't help but think that he talked with a high vocabulary even though he was so young. Maybe it was because it was a dream, but it was also a memory, was it not?_

_The young Riku sighed. "All right," he said, "Suppose there really is a monster…" his voice took on a smaller tone, "Think we can beat it by ourselves, Sora?" _

_Freya couldn't help but smile as she walked towards the two younger versions of the boys she knew. _

"_No problem." The young brunette boy repled, "Let's do it! Listen!" he exclaimed, "There! Can you hear it growling?"_

_Freya had to laugh. The growling of the monster was actually wind going through the cave. _

"_Shh…" Riku said, "We've gotta be careful."_

_And the three of them made their way into the cave despite the fact that neither of the two boys knew that Freya was right there with them._

"_See that?" Riku said once they were inside the cave, "It was just the wind making that noise."_

"_Aw, man!" the younger form of Sora groaned, "I wish it was a monster!" but his thoughts were diverted when he noticed a door on the stone in the back of the cave. "Hold on! What's that over there?" _

_Riku and Freya followed the young boy over to where his curiosity led him, both inspecting the strange anomaly on the wall. _

"_A window, or maybe a door?" Riku questioned, trying to open it but failing, "It won't open."_

_Sora looked around in disappointment. "Geez, is that really all that's in here?"_

"_What do you expect in a boring place like this?" the silver haired boy questioned his younger companion. "Hey, Sora."_

"_Hm?"_

"_When we grow up…let's get off this island." The young silver boy said, excited, "We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!"_

"_Sure," Sora nodded, "But isn't there anything fun to do now? Hey, you know the new girl at the mayor's house?"_

_A white light flashed…_

…and Freya started to wake. Her body was sore all over and she was aware that she was lying on Sora's strong chest. She couldn't move, though, so she decided to wait until she could. She could barely open her eyes even.

The winged girl could hear Donald's voice as he yelled at someone. She wanted to laugh, but her body was still paralyzed.

"Knock it off!" Donald shrieked as the winged girl twitched. She opened her eyes to see Sora looking down at her with a worried and panicked expression. She smiled softly at him and he sat up, bringing her with him.

"Are you okay?" he quietly asked as she managed to regain the feelings of her limbs. She was completely covered with bruises and scratches, but the sight of seeing Sora completely okay was worth it.

"I'm fine." Freya said, honestly feeling that she was fine. Once she had complete control of her limbs, she started to move, but he clamped down on her. He held her in place while he gave her a solid hug.

"You scared me again. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't wake. I tried really hard." He said, a tear streaking down his cheek. "You're going to be the death of me." he murmured, only intending for her to hear it.

"But I'm always okay in the end, aren't I?" she questioned quietly.

"I suppose." He sighed, "But please be careful." He then let her get up. He ignored her hand, not wanting to put too much weight on her, and got up himself.

"Hey, Sora, Freya, are you two okay?" Goofy questioned as he noticed the two of them standing up.

"We're fine." Sora said, "What are you guys doing? Where are we, anyway?" he continued, looking around the area. Everywhere there were planks of wood and slimy things simply hanging about.

Suddenly, an item dropped and it narrowly misses hitting Sora in the head. Freya couldn't help but giggle.

"Uh, ya know, I think that big ol' whale Monstro just swallowed us." He said, bringing up his shield just as another object fell from the sky. "And for today's weather: expect showers." He said in a cheerful note.

An item dropped on Goofy, but it hit his shield. The sound of the item hitting the shield created a loud clanging noise.

"Heavy showers!" Freya chimed in, bursting out in complete laughter. Sora smiled slightly, relieved that her earlier sad attitude had left.

"Hey! Who's there?" Donald demanded, wanting to know who it was on top of the wooden structure.

"It's me." a familiar face said, sticking its head out from on top of the wooden structure.

"Oh, it's just Pinocchio." Donald said, then completing a double take, "Pinocchio!" the wooden boy walked away with the item he found in the treasure chest, ignoring Donald's cries for him to come back. Jiminy started to cry out for him as well, but his cries went unheeded as well.

"Pinocchio? Pinocch, where are you going? Pinocch! Come on, everybody! After him! Quick!" the small cricket demanded. Sora nodded as the four of them dove in the water after the small wooden boy. Freya, however, decided to float weakly from each floating plank to the next until they reached the shipwreck. There, they heard the voice of an old man.

"What have you got there, Pinocchio?" the old man questioned.

"With this, we can get out of here, Father." Pinocchio said cheerfully.

"Really? With this big block? You think so?" the old man questioned once again, this time in a cheerful voice.

The four friends, plus Jiminy, climbed up on the shipwreck.

"It's true." Sora said as the winged girl nodded with a smile on her face. He then turned to the wooden boy, "So, how did you end up here, Pinocchio?"

"Oh, my. So the whale swallowed all of you, too? My goodness." The old man said in shock and worry.

"Yeah, looks like it." The brunette teenager replied, shrugging his shoulders. He was over his initial panic of arriving in the belly of the whale. Now, he was just wondering on how they can get out again.

"My name is Geppetto." The old man introduced himself, "I'm Pinocchio's father. When we got separated, I traveled all over…looking for him. Thank goodness we're together again." The old man said, affectionately looking towards his son. The boy, however, saw a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye, running into another area of Monstro. Geppetto moved the large green object that his son found to another part of the ship.

"So, you seem to know Pinocchio quite well. I hope he was a good boy in my absence." The old man said as he stood higher, "Well, we've all had quite a journey. Right, Pinocchio? Pinocchio?" he questioned, looking around for his son.

"I think I saw him going over there." Freya said, rubbing the back of her neck. Sora nodded and the two of them, plus Donald and Goofy, went to the first chamber. They spotted Pinocchio.

"What are you doing? Come on, let's go back." Sora said to him. Freya felt something bubbling up in the pit of her stomach.

"You know, Geppetto's awfully worried about you." Goofy said, trying to get the small wooden boy to come with them. Suddenly, the brunette teenager became angry.

"Pinocchio, stop fooling around! This is no time for games!" he exclaimed before taking Freya by the hand and tugging her behind him.

"But, Sora," came a familiar cool voice, "I thought you liked games."

Sora froze, slowly turning around to face Riku once again. Freya looked frantically around for her brother, spotting him hovering behind Riku's shoulder. He looked…different. He looked darker than before.

"Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblade?" Riku questioned in a haughty tone.

"Freya, I can't take it anymore." He said, looking her in the eyes. "All he needs to do is activate the Twilight Retribution once. Just once! I've left the keychain everywhere for him. He sees it, but he won't touch it!" the older twin exclaimed with a slightly crazed look in his eye. He looked at her with a pleading expression.

"Just once. He just has to activate the Twilight Retribution just once…help him…" he said, holding out his hand to her. Riku moved and she stepped forward, holding out her hand. He pressed something in her palm and the object moved to her palm, but his skin went straight through hers.

"Just once, sister. Just once." He said before fading away.

"Riku! Wh-What are you doing here?" Sora questioned in shock.

"Just playing with Pinocchio." The silver haired teenager said in a cool voice.

"You know what I mean! What about Kairi? Did you find her?" and all of a sudden Freya's stomach started to twist into knots.

"Maybe. Catch us and maybe I'll tell you what I know." the silver haired teenager chuckled.

"Come on!" the brunette teenager growled. Riku then grabbed the wooden boy's arm and took off to another area, Sora and the others following after them.


	22. Monstro Part Two

**Yay, I finished this chapter sooner than I thought! **

**Thanks to:**

**Shadow 1n2 - Yeah, he gets mad because all of his damage goes to her, making her twice as vulnerable. **

**Lvl-ZeR0 - Yay! *HUG* I like being weird. It's a quirk I'm proud of. =) I squeal over random things - like I'm a huge Transformers fan so I'll be watching it and squeeing over random things in general. Or laughing at stupid things (like when Ratchet runs into the telephone line and goes "Wow, that's tingly. You've gotta try that!")**

**Keysoul - Yup. She's jealous of Kairi. **

**mysteriousguy898 - I know. He was a jerk until the second game, when he started to be less of a jerk. **

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Monstro Part Two**

* * *

Further down inside the bowls of the great whale, the familiar green skinned woman – Maleficent – was talking to the silver haired teenager. She was trying to corrupt him and if the transparent teenager suffering next to him was any indication…it was working.

No matter how hard Trey tried, he could not speak to Riku. The boy either ignored his existence or he just didn't want anything to do with the keychain he was trying to give him. That was why he gave the keychain to his baby sister. If anyone could convince (or maybe force) the boy to activate the keyblade just once…it would be Freya.

If he could activate the keyblade at least once…he could become solid and help Riku find his way to the light. Or, at least the path in between light and darkness. If he could keep Riku from the darkness, his job would be complete.

"Why do you still care about that boy and his Guardian Angel?" the green skinned woman asked him, "He has all but deserted you for the Keyblade and his new companions, after all. He has abandoned Kairi for that girl."

Trey glared at the woman, frustrated that she couldn't see him and he couldn't hit her. He growled, intensifying he glare once he realized that Riku wasn't shoving past her.

"I don't care about him." the silver haired teenager said, "I was just messing with him a little." But his voice betrayed his emotions. Maleficent smirked, coming to stand next to him once again.

"Oh, really?" she questioned in a haughty manner, "Of course you were. Beware the Darkness in your heart." She warned lightly, "The Heartless prey upon it."

"Mind your own business." Riku huffed. Maleficent smirked before creating a darkness portal and disappearing. Sora and Freya were chasing after the small wooden boy when they saw the silver haired teenager.

"Sora, look!" the winged girl exclaimed, pointing to the other teenager and tugging on Sora's jacket sleeve.

"Riku!" the brunette boy shouted, "What's the matter with you?" he asked, but the silver haired teenager didn't reply. "What are you thinking? Don't you realize what you're dong?"

This seemed to be the key to trick Riku into showing any sort of emotion.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Sora." Riku growled, "You only seem interested in running around and showing off that Keyblade these days. Do you even want to save Kairi? Or are you replacing Kairi with _her_?" Riku growled again, jabbing his finger in Freya's direction.

Both Freya and Sora were taken aback by the accusation. Freya felt bad for feeling jealous of Kairi, but she knew that she couldn't help her presence here. She was a part of the Keyblade's power and when the Keyblade was activated, she was as well.

"I do." Sora said, "I want to save Kairi. I'm not replacing her." The brunette boy said, shaking his head.

"How could he replace her?" Freya said before Riku could reply. She gave the two of them a sad smile. "He's her friend and I'm just his Guardian Angel. Sure, I'm his friend, too, but Kairi always comes first."

Both boys were shocked, but then Riku scowled and ran into the Bowles of the great whale. Sora and Freya followed him, intent on finding both the wooden boy and getting Riku to see reason.

"Oh no!" Freya exclaimed when they saw that the little wooden boy was trapped in some sort of Parasite Cage. It looked like it was squishy and made of something purple, but it was violent.

Riku apparently had some sort of change of heart because he glanced to Riku and Freya, "You up for this?"

"No problem. Let's do it!" the brunette teenager exclaimed, glancing towards the silver haired teenager and grinning. Riku snorted and looked away, intent on the battle.

"Sora, jump!" Freya shouted and he did so, trusting the winged girl completely. She twirled in place, flaring out her wings and sending out a huge gust of wind. "Feather Whirlwind!" and projected the brunette teenager forward. He slashed out hit the Parasite, but it was stronger than it looked. Freya stayed behind for this battle, not being able to maneuver because of her wings. The tight space wasn't allowing her to fly very easily. Instead, she relied on distant attacks.

"Ice Shards!" she exclaimed, sending shards of the bitterest ice she could muster towards the organism. It shrieked in rage, letting Sora and Riku attack the mouth. The battle was a short once since Riku was helping them, but Freya wasn't happy about the stinking acid in the air. It was eating away at her wings. The sensitive feathers were crisping and turning an ugly blackish color.

The Parasite Cage keeled over, but it didn't die. Instead, it released the small wooden boy. Pinocchio fell into the pit underneath the Cage and the silver haired teenager followed him. Sora and Freya followed the other two, but were surprised when they fell into a pool of water. They had ended up into the mouth of the whale.

Freya spat out the dirty water as soon as she broke the surface. She did _not_ like water. Sora broke the surface of the water and shook his head, getting her even wetter than she was.

"Thanks." She dryly said as he gave her a chuckle. He was about to respond, but the voice of old man Geppetto caught their attention.

"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" the old man cried, "Please! Give me back my son!" Freya's eyes grew wide and she swam towards the nearest floating plank of wood. Helping Sora up, she heated her wings, which evaporated the water, and flared them. She jumped up, landing on the wooden formation that was right in front of the silver haired teenager.

Riku, who was holding the little wooden boy underneath his arm, shook his head. Trey, who had appeared behind Riku, shook his head in sadness. He did not like what Riku was doing in order to get his friend back.

"Sorry, old man." The silver haired teenager said, motioning towards the unconscious puppet, "I have some unfinished business with this puppet."

"What the hell? He's a defenseless boy!" Freya shouted, crossing her arms in anger. He may have been a puppet, but she decided she would call him a boy. He was one after all. A wooden boy.

"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!" Geppetto pleaded with Riku.

"He is unusual." Riku commented with a contemplative tone, "Not many puppets have hearts. I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs."

Freya suddenly felt bad for disliking Kairi. She knew that was who Riku was talking about. It was all he ever talked about. Nobody deserves to lose their hearts. Now, she would be like a mindless puppet…unless she could get to her and help her retrieve it. It was a onetime deal, but it was her special ability. The special ability of the Guardian Angel.

"Wait a minute." Sora questioned, aghast, "Are you talking about Kairi?"

"What do you care about her?" Riku rebutted, sending the brunette teenager one of the worst glares he could manage. He then turned and jumped away, heading towards the great whale's throat. Sora and Freya followed him – the later not at all happy about the situation. She did _not_ like this place at all. They wandered forward a few feet only to be sucked up to the whale's stomach. There, they confronted the silver haired teenager.

"Hey, let Pinocchio go, Riku." Sora said, tired of fighting with his friend, but the silver haired teenager only shook his head.

"A puppet that's lost its heart to the Heartless..." he murmured, looking Sora in the eye, " Maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi. How about it, Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it, together."

This was when Freya stepped in.

"I can save her, Riku." Behind the silver haired boy, she saw Trey look at her, eyes dilating at her words. He sharply shook his head, trying to tell her not to give up her secret.

She listened to him, but she did tell him a little bit.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because my brother is with you and if he's your Guardian Angel then I'll help, too." She knew that Riku didn't believe her, but she had to try one way or another. She held out the hand with the keychain in it, but he only looked at it. He didn't take it. Instead, he lashed out at the winged girl. His dark looking keyblade crashed into Sora's and the two boys fought for dominance.

"What? You'd rather fight me?" Riku growled, "Over a puppet that has no heart?"

"No. I fight for my Angel. You had no right to attack her." Sora ground out. Freya blushed, bringing up a hand to cover her mouth.

"And Heart or no heart, at least he still has a conscience." That last jab made the silver haired teenager frown in confusion.

"Conscience?" Riku questioned, cocking his head to the side.

"You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear. And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!" both Freya and Trey smiled, happy that they weren't the only ones who were convinced that Riku was not on the side of light. He was being led down the path of darkness.

"Then you leave me no choice." Riku sighed.

"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" Jiminy cried, hopping over to the little wooden boy. Pinocchio woke up, but the puppet was in bad shape.

"Jiminy... I'm not gonna make it." the young wooden boy weakly said and then Pinocchio's nose started to grow longer. He looked up in surprise, feeling better than before.

"Oh! I guess I'm okay!" the little wooden boy said. Jiminy jumped up and down, but then the Parasite Cage from before appeared in midair. It dropped to the ground, distracting Sora and Freya as Riku disappeared through a portal made of darkness.

It was easier fighting the Parasite Cage for the second time around. After a couple of rounds of slices, kicks, and slashes with their blades, the Parasite Cage fell. After it fell, Donald warned them that they had to run.

"Riku! Riku, where are you?" Sora cried out, wanting to know where his silver haired friend went.

"Not now, Sora! We gotta go!" Freya shouted as she grabbed the back of his jacket to pull him out of the way. They escaped and Sora ended up gaining the power of Time from his experience inside the great whale.

"It's time to go." The winged girl said and the others breathed a sigh of relief. The rumbling of the whale was an indication that he was going to sneeze. And, with one great sneeze, the small ship made of Gummi was blasted into space once again.


	23. Trey's Despair

**I wanted this to be longer - actually, I wanted to post this last week, but then my computer had to go to the shop. Sorry, guys. The next one will be all Atlantica - not broken into any parts!**

**Thank to:**

**Shadow 1n2 - You know about the whole computer thing. I posted in the TF fanfic I'm updatng. =D Thanks for the review.**

**Keysoul - Hm...I'm definately going to do it in Hollow Bastion, but I'm not sure exactly when. I have a plan, though!**

**Lvl-ZeR0 - *HUGS* Being weird is awesome XP I was like the weirdest person in my Humor class. We had to tell about our weirdest phobia and mine was Sloths. Seriously - sloths are...like...I can't even describe it. *shudders***

**Lightwithinthedark - Aww, I'm glad you think so. Thanks for the review!**

**mysteriousguy898 - It's not a matter of refusing the keyblade, he wants Sora's keyblade because he knows firsthand how poweful Freya can be. He doesn't know Trey (he can't even see, hear, or touch him) so he thinks of him as useless.**

**Anna Shiki - Lol Roxas is not going to be paired with anyone. It's all Sora/Freya. Roxas is going to be a friend in the beginning of the second story, but she has this feeling that somethng is not right.**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - He'll take the keychain soon enough lol**

**Alia - Hello! Thanks for reviewing! You have a very valid point, but, then again, I have something up my sleeve for Trey, Freya, and Riku. =D**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**Trey's Despair**

* * *

Trey watched with a dark expression as Riku stared down at the red haired girl. It was all that his bearer cared about. He had even lost his feelings toward the brunette boy that his little sister had been summoned by.

His expression softened as he thought of his sister. If anyone could get Riku to summon him, it was his sister. All Riku needed to do was touch the keychain one time. It was as simple as that, but Trey had been too weak to do even that.

"So," the silver haired teenager questioned in a sad voice, "Kairi's like…a lifeless puppet now?"

"Precisely." The green skinned black clad woman said with a smirk on her face, not that Riku was looking at her.

"And her heart was…" Trey's fists clenched as the boy trailed off.

"Taken by the Heartless, no doubt." Maleficent said in a cool voice. Riku's voice rose in pitch as he whirled to look at the woman.

"Tell me!" he exclaimed, "What can I do?" his voice was pleading with the woman. Trey didn't like how Riku sounded. He had been so strong before he had met the darkness.

Maleficent smirked down at the boy. "There are seven maidens of the purest heart." She began, "We call them the Princesses of Heart. Gather them together, and a door will open to the heart of all worlds. Within lies untold wisdom."

Trey froze. She was talking about…a place that was familiar to him. A place he had not been for the longest of times.

"There, you will surely find a way to recover Kairi's heart." Her smirk widened, "Now, I grant you a marvelous gift. The power to control the Heartless."

Trey panicked, reaching out to place his hand on Riku's shoulder. They touched for a split second before his palm went straight through the silver haired boy's skin. Riku shivered for a moment, but accepted the gift.

He had no idea how dangerous this was for his Guardian Angel. The black darkness surrounded Riku and Trey opened his mouth, letting out a scream…but nobody could hear it. The Guardian Angel griped his head, eyes wide as the very tips of his wings started to decay.

If they couldn't purge the darkness from Riku soon, his wings would be destroyed and his power would be gone. Forever.

What good was a Guardian Angel without the power to protect his charge?

Riku looked down at the red haired girl. "Soon, Kairi. Soon."

Back inside the Gummy Ship, everyone was worried. They hoped the small wooden boy and his father had made it to somewhere safe.

"I sure hope Pinocchio and Geppetto are okay." Goofy said and Freya nodded her head.

"I'm sure they're fine." She said in a worried tone.

"Yeah, hopefully they landed safely somewhere." Donald said. Although Sora was worried about the small wooden boy, he was also worried about his silver haired friend.

"Riku…" he said. The brunette teenager jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around him.

"Don't worry, Sora. We'll find him. I know we will." He smiled up at her and she leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Don't give up hope." She said and he found himself smiling even wider as a small blush spread across his face.

"So what are we going to do now?" he questioned.

"I think we need to make a trip to Traverse Town. We're low on supplies." She said. Sora nodded and Donald set a course for Traverse Town. With the new warp gummi they had, it took no time for them to reach the town.

It took even less time to gather supplies, since Donald's nephews were the ones running the shop, when they saw a new house. Out of curiosity, Freya tugged on Sora's sleeve. He turned to look down at her and she pointed to the new house.

"Who do you suppose lives there?" she questioned and the brunette boy sent her yet another beaming smile. He couldn't help it. She just made him so happy.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." And they entered the house. They were shocked at who they discovered.

"Pinocchio?" Sora questioned as Freya twitched her wings in surprise.

"Hey, it's Sora and Freya!" the small wooden puppet yelled.

"Well, hello again, you two!" he exclaimed. The two laughed and Freya hugged the old man.

"How did you get here" Sora questioned, rubbing Pinocchio's hair.

"A man named Leon helped us." Freya shook her head. Of course Leon would help them. He would rather worry about the welfare of others than look after himself. "He even got us this house to live in. I don' know how I'll ever repay his kindness." The old man said. They stood for a few moments, looking over the trinkets that Geppetto had for sale. "Say, I hear you four are fighting the Heartless. I thought I might be able to help you, so I made this."

He handed over the item to Sora and Freya couldn't help but sigh in exasperation.

"For us?" he questioned.

"But of course! Pinocchio and I can't thank you enough! We'll do anything we can to help you!" the old man said, allowing Sora to clip the keychain on his keyblade. Almost instantly a bright light surrounded Freya.

Her dress changed to one of a simple dusty gold color. The sleeves lengthened so that they were three quarters the length of her arm. The dress reached her knees and there were minimal ruffles on the skirt, much to her enjoyment. There was a wide black sash that wrapped around her waist and it tied in a dainty bow behind her back thin ribbons fell from the bottom of her sleeves, down past her hands. Dainty black slippers were on her feet while lacy black leg warmers rose to her knees. Petite black gloves were on her hands and a small band went around her head, holding back her loose hair. The small crown charm Sora gave her was sewn onto the band.

"Well, at least it doesn't have ruffles." She mused to herself, earning laughs from her friends.

"How do I look, Sora?" she questioned, twirling around. He blushed, liking the way her lose hair fell over her shoulders.

"Beautiful." He blurted out before he could think of anything else to say. She stopped twirling, looking at him in surprise before she broke out into a warm smile

"Do you really think so?" she questioned.

"Of course I do." He said back.

"Indeed, Freya. You are a beautiful girl." Geppetto said as he nodded his head.

"Thanks guys." She said, giving her brunette friend a hug. He wrapped his hands around her waist and sighed, loving every minute of it.


	24. Author's Note

I apologize to all of my readers and fans, but this is what I feel like I have to do. Either I'm going to let someone take over my stories, or I'm going to delete all of them with the intention on reposting some heavily edited (some not heavily edited) stories. I'm going to repost one at a time and I've decided on posting my Naruto story first. I will put up a new poll asking people to vote on the one they want me to work on after I finish the Naruto story.

The reason why I haven't posted in the last year or so is difficult to explain, but a rough summary would be that I was Saved by the Lord and I found a wonderful relationship with the man of my dreams. I've been working on some original stuff and I hope to have some stuff published in the future.

Thank you for being so understanding.


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